The houses are separated into two or more apartments, and on account of the compact nature of the clay and tamped floor are easily kept clean. The roofs are slimy with the reek of smoke, as though they had been painted with coal-tar. The household chattels or furniture are limited to food baskets, earthenware pots, an assortment of wickerwork dishes, the family shields, spears, knives, swords, and tools, and the fish- baskets lying outside. They are tolerably hospitable, and permit strangers the free use of their dwellings. The bananas and plantains are very luxuriant, while the Guinea palms supply the people with oil and wine; the forests give them fuel, the rivers fish, and the gardens cassava, ground-nuts, and Indian corn. The chiefs enact strict laws, and, though possessed of but little actual power either of wealth or retinue, exact the utmost deference, and are exceedingly ceremonious, being always followed by a drummer, who taps his drum with masterly skill born of long and continued practice. _Oct. 11._—On the 11th we crossed the Luama river—a stream 200 yards wide and 8 feet deep in the centre at the ferry—called the Rugumba in Ubujwé. After uniting with the Rubumba, it flows northward, and takes a wide sweep round to clear the northern spurs of the Ka-Bambarré group of mountains, and thence, meeting another stream from the north-west near Uvira, flows west, bisecting the country of Manyema. Below the ford, as far as the Lualaba, its current is from three to six knots an hour, and about 5 feet deep, flowing over a shaly bed. On the western side of the Luama the women at once fled upon the approach of our caravan—a certain sign that there had been trouble between them and Arabs. _Oct. 12._—On the 12th, following the Luama river, we reached Wusumbiri. My predecessors, Livingstone and Cameron, had, after crossing the stream, proceeded west, but I preferred to follow the Luama to its junction with the Lualaba, and thence to Nyangwé. The Luama valley is about twenty miles wide, furrowed with many watercourses; the soil is poor, abounding with yellow quartz, but resting upon soft shale. The ridges are formed of dykes of granite, which peep out frequently in large masses from amongst the foliage of trees. The people appeared to be very timid, but behaved amiably. Over fifty followed us, and carried loads most willingly. Three volunteered to follow us wherever we should go, but we declined their offer. Our riding-asses were the first ever seen in Manyema, and effected a striking demonstration in our favour. They obtained more admiration than even we Europeans. Hundreds of natives ran up to us at each village in the greatest excitement to behold the strange long-eared animals, and followed us long distances from their homes to observe the asses’ motions.