‘... He was neither cruel nor bloodthirsty. He discountenanced the poison ordeal which was adopted from the Tonga slaves, believing rather in their own trial by boiling water, which at most only maimed the person and did not destroy life as the _mwavi_ did. He was considered to be “too soft” by the more degraded and fiery dispositions, and had no delight in condemning to death. Only two instances of the death-penalty being inflicted by Mombera came under my own observation during all the years I lived under him. In one case he caused a man to be put to death for cattle-stealing, after having pardoned him for the same offence.... The other case was where a member of the royal family killed a slave who had run away from him and put himself under the protection of another master....’ (Pp. 115-117.) GLOSSARY OF NYANJA AND OTHER TERMS USED IN THIS BOOK (_Unless otherwise stated, the language is Nyanja_) _Abusa_, plural of _mbusa_, a herd-boy. _Adzukulu_, grandchildren, also spelt _ajukulu_ and _azukuru_. But it usually means the relatives or friends who make all the arrangements for burying a deceased person. _Afiti_, plural of _mfiti_, a wizard. _Amabele_ (Zulu), ‘Kafir corn’—_Holcus sorghum_. _Amadhlozi_ (Zulu), plural of _idhlozi_, ancestral spirits, when they appear in the form of snakes. _Amatongo_ (Zulu), ancestral spirits manifesting themselves in dreams. _Antu_, plural of _muntu_, a person. _Awilo_ (Yao). See _Adzukulu_. _Bango_, a very common kind of reed—_Phragmites communis_. _Bwalo_, the village place of assembly or ‘forum’; it is also used (see p. 122) for the unmarried men’s house. _Bwazi_, a shrub (_Securidaca longipedunculata_) and the fibre procured from its bark. _Bwebweta_, v., to rave or talk nonsense, as if possessed by spirits. _Chagwa_, lit. ‘it has fallen’; name of a game. See p. 113. _Chamba_, Indian hemp; also name of a dance. _Chifukwa_, lit. ‘a fault,’ but used as a conjunction—‘because.’ _Chikolongwe_, a barbed fish-spear, or gaff. _Chikonyo_, a cob of maize. _Chimanga_, maize. _Chinamwali_, the initiation ceremonies for girls. _Chinangwa_ (Yao), cassava. _Chipini_, a metal ornament, like a stud, worn by women in the nose. _Chipongwe_, impudence. _Chire_, the bush. _Chiri_, a steep bank. _Chirombo_, a wild beast, a monster; also an insect or a weed. _Chirope_, madness caused by shedding blood. See p. 67. _Chitalaka_, red porcelain beads, white inside. _Chitowe_, sesamum, the seed of which is used for making oil. _Dambo_, a plain, or open grass-land in the Bush. _Dimba_, a patch of alluvial soil beside a stream. _Dzombe_, a locust. _Fumba_, a sleeping-bag made of matting. _Garanzi_, a small drum, beaten quickly. _Gome_ (_nyumba ya_), a square house. _Gowero_, boys’ house in a village. _Gwape_ (_gwapi_), the klipspringer—_Oreotragus saltator_.