near Angola, in the
west.

The rains are expected here when the Pleiades appear in the east soon
after sunset; they go by the same name here as further south--Lemila
or the "hoeings."

In the route along the Rovuma, we pass among people who are so well
supplied with white calico by the slave-trade from Kilwa, that it is
quite a drug in the market: we cannot get food for it. If we held on
westwards we should cross several rivers flowing into the Rovuma from
the southward, as the Zandulo, the Sanjenze, the Lochiringo, and then,
in going round the north end of Nyassa, we should pass among the
Nindi, who now inhabit the parts vacated by the Mazitu, and imitate
them in having shields and in marauding. An Arab party went into their
country, and got out again only by paying a whole bale of calico; it
would not be wise in me to venture there at present, but if we return
this way we may; meanwhile we shall push on to Mataka, who is only a
few days off from the middle of the Lake, and has abundance of
provisions.

_26th June, 1866._--My last mule died. In coming along in the morning
we were loudly accosted by a well-dressed woman who had just had a
very heavy slave-taming stick put on her neck; she called in such an
authoritative tone to us to witness the flagrant injustice of which
she was the victim that all the men stood still and went to hear the
case. She was a near relative of Chirikaloma, and was going up the
river to her husband, when the old man (at whose house she was now a
prisoner) caught her, took her servant away from her, and kept her in
the degraded state we saw. The withes with which she was bound were
green and sappy. The old man said in justification that she was
running away from Chirikaloma, and he would be offended with him if he
did not secure her.

I asked the officious old gentleman in a friendly tone what he
expected to receive from Chirikaloma, and he said, "Nothing." Several
slaver-looking fellows came about, and I felt sure that the woman had
been seized in order to sell her to them, so I gave the captor a cloth
to pay to Chirikaloma if he were offended, and told him to say that
I, feeling ashamed to see one of his relatives in a slave-stick, had
released her, and would, take her on to her husband.

She is evidently a lady among them, having many fine beads and some
strung on elephant's hair: she has a good deal of spirit too, for on
being liberated she went into the old man's house and took he