Page:Africa by Élisée Reclus, Volume 4.djvu/48

28 SOUTH AND EAST AFRICA. brought into direct contact with the Europeans and the immigrant Cabindas, who no less than the whites must be regarded as the true civilisers of the inhabitants of Angola. Amongst the Pretos must also be included the Bunda communities of the Lower Cuanza, the Ambaquistas, or people of the Ambaca district in the Lu-Calla basin, and lastly the Bihenos, that is the natives of the Bihe plateau, which forms the divide between the waters flowing to the Cuanza, the Cunene, the Ku-Bango, and the Ku-Ndo basins. Amongst these more or less cultured Negroes it is by no means rare to meet well-informed persons, and from this element are derived most of those employed in the international traffic, as well as some of the colonial officials. Many even possess, or at least administer, extensive plantations. The Pretos, however, are essentially a mixed people, presenting every shade of complexion from an almost pure black to a hue light enough to class them as whites. Nevertheless, many of the practices prevailing amongst those dwelling in and about the towns still recall their primitive savagery. Mention is made by Ladislas Magyar of the vakunga, one of these barbarous customs still surviving down to the middle of the present century amongst the Mu-Ndombes settled in the neighbourhood of Benguella, who, at the same time, hold themselves as quite distinct from and superior to the savage Mu-Ndombes of the interior. In accordance with this vakunga, or " sale by auction," yoimg girls whose parents are not rich enough to defray the expenses of the sumptuous " wedding break- fast," are put up to the highest bidder, and in this way both contracting parties escape the reproach of a marriage performed without the customary festivities. The practice is still tmiversally observed amongst the Quissamas as well as the inland Mu-Ndombes. In the villages of the interior the bride joins in ths wedding procession plastered all over with a white clay, emblem of future happiness. In Angola the white element is represented only by a relatively small number of persons. Not more than about four thousand of the inhabitants are of European origin, and even of these nearly all have come with the intention of one day returning to the mother country. The Portuguese and other whites settled in Angola are either traders and artisans who hope to make rapid fortunes, or else Government ofiicials and soldiers, whose service in this remote colony entitles them to a double rate of promotion. Hence, it is not surprising that the territories comprised between " coast and coast," that is between the Congo and Zambese estuaries, are still for the most part an unknown region. Although indicated on the Portuguese maps as formin» a single Lusitauian domain, they have been traversed from ocean to ocean by a very small number of explorers. Europeans are rarely met who can be regarded as true immigrants, that have come with the intention of forming permanent homes on African soil. The reason is because for the Portuguese themselves all attempts at acclimatisation within the tropical zone are attended by risk. Doubtless, many cases may be mentioned of whites who have passed half of a long existence in the trading places along the coast, or on the plantations of the interior ; but even these seldom display the same energy and enterprise as their fellow-countr^^men in