CHAPTER LXXIII.
MORE VIEWS FROM LIVINGSTONE.
Situated a few miles from the edge of a steep descent, Livingstone found a West African village provided with travelers' houses, on the principle of the inns of the East. These were built of twigs and plaster and had benches made of rods, on which the wayfarer could make his bed; a few chairs, a table, and a large jar of water completed the furnishings.
A little farther on lay a village of the Basongo, a tribe subject to the Portuguese, and as the route of Livingstone's expedition lay through a fine, fertile, well-peopled country, luxuriant fields of wheat were seen growing without irrigation. Gradually the country became more open, but remained still abundantly fertile, with a heavy crop of grass growing to a height of two or three feet. The whole section was well wooded and watered.
The landscape was dotted with Basongo villages, while frequently a square house built of twigs and plaster, belonging to some native Portuguese, stood beside them and was used for purposes of trade.
The different sleeping places on the pathway were from eight to ten miles apart, and were marked by a cluster of sheds made of sticks and grass.
There was a constant stream of people going and returning to and from the coast. Goods were carried upon the head, or upon one shoulder, in a kind of basket fastened to the ends of two poles between five and six feet long.
When the basket was placed upon the head, the poles projected forward horizontally; and if the carrier wished to rest himself, he planted these poles on the ground, and rested his burden against a tree. In this way he was not obliged to lift it from the ground to the level of his head, when he wished to take up his load again. Frequently with the poles planted in the ground a carrier could be seen holding his burden until he had recovered his breath, thus avoiding the exertion of lowering and lifting his load.
Upon the arrival of strangers at any of the sleeping stations, women were seen emerging from the villages bearing baskets filled with manioc meal, roots, groundnuts, yams, bird's eye pepper, and garlic, which they offered for sale. Calico was usually taken in exchange for these goods.