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In illustration of their ideas, it may be mentioned that, when we were among the tribes west of Semalembue, several of the people came forward and introduced themselves one as a hunter of elephants, another as a hunter of hippopotami, a third as a digger of pitfalls apparently wishing me to give them medicine for success in their avocations, as well as to cure the diseases of those to whom I was administering the drugs.
Semalembue said that he ought to see us over the river, so he accompanied us to a pass about a mile south of his village, and when we entered among the hills we found the ford of the Kafue. On parting with Semalembue I put on him a shirt, and he went away with it apparently much delighted. The ford was at least 250 yards broad, but rocky and shallow.
Like negroes in general, they have a strong tendency to worship, and I heard that Semalembue gets a good deal of ivory from the surrounding tribes on pretense of having some supernatural power. He transmits this to some other chiefs on the Zambesi, and receives in return English cotton goods which come from Mozambique by Babisa traders.
On the 9th of July we tried to send Semalembue a present, but the people here refused to incur the responsibility of carrying it. We, who have the art of writing, cannot realize the danger one incurs of being accused of purloining a portion of goods sent from one person to another, when the carrier cannot prove that he delivered all committed to his charge.
Candumba, 15 miles E. of 9 42 46 . . . 1855, Jan. 2 Pungo Andongo, 300 yards N. of the Coanza. Kalai, 17 51 54 25 41 0 1855, Nov. 18 2 3 near the Mosioatunya Falls. Top of the hills Semalembue, water boils 204-1/2 Deg. = 4078 feet. Tete or Nyungwe station, 16 9 3 33 28 0 Mar. 2, 17 4 8 house of commandant. Hot Spring Makorozi, 15 59 35 . . . Mar. 13 about 10 m. up the river.
Though only a little larger than a cherry, we found that the elephants had stood picking them off patiently by the hour. We saw other footprints among the hills of Semalembue, but the black rhinoceros is remarkably scarce in all the country north of the Zambesi.
Leaving the Elephant Valley, they reached the residence of a chief named Semalembue, who, soon after their arrival, paid them a visit, and presented five or six baskets of meal and maize, and one of ground nuts, saying that he feared his guest would sleep the first night at his village hungry.
The uppermost stratum is always dolomite or bright white quartz. Semalembue intended that we should go a little to the northeast, and pass through the people called Babimpe, and we saw some of that people, who invited us to come that way on account of its being smoother; but, feeling anxious to get back to the Zambesi again, we decided to cross the hills toward its confluence with the Kafue.
Semalembue paid us a visit soon after our arrival, and said that he had often heard of me, and now that he had the pleasure of seeing me, he feared that I should sleep the first night at his village hungry. This was considered the handsome way of introducing a present, for he then handed five or six baskets of meal and maize, and an enormous one of ground-nuts.
Passing the rivulet Losito, and through the ranges of hills, we reached the residence of Semalembue on the 18th. His village is situated at the bottom of ranges through which the Kafue finds a passage, and close to the bank of that river.
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