Page:Africa by Élisée Reclus, Volume 4.djvu/367

 from the council of chiefs before during to enter their territory, as to do so without this precaution was considered certain death. The depopulated borderlands on their frontiers were also stated to be carefully guarded by elephant-hunters, instructed to kill all intruders of other races or tribes. But all this was idle popular report. The Lomwes are, on the contrary, now known to be a peace-loving and even timid people, who are harassed by their Makua neighbours.

They are even threatened with extinction at no distant date, unless peace be restored to this distracted land under the influence of the European traders or missionaries.

For intelligence and industry the Yaos (Wa-Hiyao), called also Ajawas, certainly take the foremost rank among all the Mozambique populations. The upper and Ljeu Valley forms the chief domain of these aborigines, who were formerly a powerful nation, but who, like their neighbours, have suffered greatly from the