ABSTRACT
ON our arrival at the south bank of the Ukwempi, as the natives called the Zambesi river, the first person we saw was a young woman who belonged to the Abahunti tribe, coming at quick pace towards us. The bank and turn in the path, which hid us the one from the other, served to conceal the strangers from the view of the poor girl, until she stood before us about twenty paces off. Discovering our presence, she seemed to be paralized, and nearly fainting. She trembled, stared, hesitated, turned round, and fled, increasing her speed as she regained strength. Usitampi called out to her in her own tongue, saying we were friends and not enemies; but this only served to terrify her the more. In her flight she alarmed others, who, in their turn, rushed out of the huts, leaving all their property behind; and, acting upon the principle that man will give all for his life, they followed the example of the young woman, and we were soon alone with an aged man and his wife, who, being unable to run, were left as the sole owners of the village. Happily, these
old people recognised Umpila and Usitampi, and were heartily glad to see their old friends. The woman was sent after the fugitives, to call them back. She succeeded in inducing her son to return, who, leading Umpila away into the next village, soon persuaded a number of young men to make their appearance. But these were all armed with spears, battle-axes, and clubs, and were painted with red ochre in the most wild and ridiculous manner imaginable. These young men, as we afterwards learnt, were in the act of dancing their fanatical funeral dance over some important personage who had just died. At such times they seem to think it quite impossible for anyone to take them by surprise, and this accounts for the defenceless state in which they were found on the present occasion; also for their confusion in finding their village filled with strangers. We were led on to another village, consisting of about half-a-dozen bee-hive shaped huts, each standing about twenty paces from the others~ and were told to wait there until the great king, to whom word had already been sent, should come to see us. With the exception of Udall, th~ head man of the village, who was drunk and almost naked, all the villagers had fled.
