His Renewed Hospitality; Desire To Appear
Like A White Man; Ludicrous Departure - Jackdaws -
Ford Southern Branch Of Lake Dilolo - Small
Fish - Project for
a Makololo Village near the Confluence of the Leeba and the Leeambye -
Hearty Welcome from Shinte - Kolimbota's
Wound -
Plant-seeds and Fruit-trees brought from Angola -
Masiko and Limboa's Quarrel - Nyamoana now a Widow -
Purchase Canoes and descend the Leeba - Herds of wild Animals on its Banks
- Unsuccessful Buffalo-hunt - Frogs - Sinbad and the Tsetse -
Dispatch a Message to Manenko - Arrival of her Husband Sambanza -
The Ceremony called Kasendi - Unexpected Fee for performing
a surgical Operation - Social Condition of the Tribes -
Desertion of Mboenga - Stratagem of Mambowe Hunters - Water-turtles -
Charged by a Buffalo - Reception from the People of Libonta -
Explain the Causes of our long Delay - Pitsane's Speech -
Thanksgiving Services - Appearance of my "Braves" -
Wonderful Kindness of the People.
After leaving the Kasai, we entered upon the extensive level plains
which we had formerly found in a flooded condition. The water on them
was not yet dried up, as it still remained in certain hollow spots.
Vultures were seen floating in the air, showing that carrion was to be found;
and, indeed, we saw several of the large game, but so exceedingly wild
as to be unapproachable. Numbers of caterpillars mounted the stalks of grass,
and many dragonflies and butterflies appeared, though this was winter.
The caprimulgus or goat-sucker, swifts, and different kinds of swallows,
with a fiery-red bee-eater in flocks, showed that the lowest temperature here
does not destroy the insects on which they feed. Jet-black larks,
with yellow shoulders, enliven the mornings with their songs,
but they do not continue so long on the wing as ours, nor soar so high.
We saw many of the pretty white ardea, and other water-birds,
flying over the spots not yet dried up; and occasionally wild ducks,
but these only in numbers sufficient to remind us that we were approaching
the Zambesi, where every water-fowl has a home.
While passing across these interminable-looking plains,
the eye rests with pleasure on a small flower, which exists in such numbers
as to give its own hue to the ground. One broad band of yellow
stretches across our path. On looking at the flowers which formed
this golden carpet, we saw every variety of that color, from the palest lemon
to the richest orange. Crossing a hundred yards of this,
we came upon another broad band of the same flower, but blue,
and this color is varied from the lightest tint to dark blue, and even purple.
I had before observed the same flower possessing different colors in different
parts of the country, and once a great number of liver-colored flowers,
which elsewhere were yellow. Even the color of the birds changed
with the district we passed through; but never before did I see
such a marked change as from yellow to blue, repeated again and again
on the same plain. Another beautiful plant attracted my attention
so strongly on these plains that I dismounted to examine it.
To my great delight I found it to be an old home acquaintance,
a species of Drosera, closely resembling our own sundew (`Drosera Anglia').
The flower-stalk never attains a height of more than two or three inches,
and the leaves are covered with reddish hairs, each of which
has a drop of clammy fluid at its tip, making the whole appear
as if spangled over with small diamonds.
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