rmination, which we had often repeated to
each other, to die rather than yield one of our party to be a slave.

Hunger has a powerful effect on the temper. When we had got a good meal
of meat, we could all bear the petty annoyances of these borderers on
the more civilized region in front with equanimity; but having suffered
considerably of late, we were all rather soured in our feelings, and not
unfrequently I overheard my companions remark in their own tongue, in
answer to threats of attack, "That's what we want: only begin then;" or
with clenched teeth they would exclaim to each other, "These things have
never traveled, and do not know what men are." The worrying, of which
I give only a slight sketch, had considerable influence on my own mind,
and more especially as it was impossible to make any allowance for the
Bashinje, such as I was willing to award to the Chiboque. They saw that
we had nothing to give, nor would they be benefited in the least by
enforcing the impudent order to return whence we had come. They were
adding insult to injury, and this put us all into a fighting spirit,
and, as nearly as we could judge, we expected to be obliged to cut our
way through the Bashinje next morning.

3D APRIL. As soon as day dawned we were astir, and, setting off in a
drizzling rain, passed close to the village. This rain probably damped
the ardor of the robbers. We, however, expected to be fired upon from
every clump of trees, or from some of the rocky hillocks among which we
were passing; and it was only after two hours' march that we began to
breathe freely, and my men remarked, in thankfulness, "We are children
of Jesus." We continued our course, notwithstanding the rain, across the
bottom of the Quango Valley, which we found broken by clay shale rocks
jutting out, though lying nearly horizontally. The grass in all the
hollows, at this time quite green, was about two feet higher than my
head while sitting on ox-back. This grass, wetted by the rain, acted as
a shower-bath on one side of our bodies; and some deep gullies, full of
DISCOLORED water, completed the cooling process. We passed many villages
during this drenching, one of which possessed a flock of sheep; and
after six hours we came to a stand near the River Quango (lat. 9d
53' S., long. 18d 37' E.), which may be called the boundary of the
Portuguese claims to territory on the west. As I had now no change of
clothing, I was glad to cower under the shelter of my b