This is
evinced by their native greeting, which consists of sitting down and
clapping their hands together in a slow rhythm whenever a white man
passes. Sometimes a traveller hears this clapping proceeding out of the
immensely high and thick grass which encloses the road, and he is by
this sound alone made aware of the presence of a human being. Their food
consists entirely of grain, which they greatly prefer to meat, even when
this is offered to them. They boil this grain, which resembles millet or
canary seed, into a sort of porridge, which they eat with the greatest
gusto, and one meal a day seems to suffice them.
And now to describe the fatherland of these natives, just emerging as it
is from darkness and strife to prosperity, peace, and, quite possibly,
riches beyond the dreams of avarice, but in any case riches,
sufficiently proved to enable it to take its place ere long among the
treasure-producing territories of God's earth. Once north of the
Zambesi, and with the thunder of those magnificent Falls still ringing
in one's ears, two things were evident even to the most casual
traveller--viz., the changed aspect of the country and of its
inhabitants. Of the latter and of their quaint greeting I have already
spoken. And as regards the road itself and the surrounding landscape
there is a still greater change.
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