Many Of The Hills Have Been Raised By Granite,
Exactly Like That Of The Kalomo.
Dikes of this granite may be seen
thrusting up immense masses of mica schist and quartz or sandstone schist,
and making the strata fold over them on each side, as clothes hung
upon a line.
The uppermost stratum is always dolomite or bright white quartz.
Semalembue intended that we should go a little to the northeast,
and pass through the people called Babimpe, and we saw some of that people,
who invited us to come that way on account of its being smoother;
but, feeling anxious to get back to the Zambesi again,
we decided to cross the hills toward its confluence with the Kafue.
The distance, which in a straight line is but small, occupied three days.
The precipitous nature of the sides of this mass of hills
knocked up the oxen and forced us to slaughter two, one of which,
a very large one, and ornamented with upward of thirty pieces of its own skin
detached and hanging down, Sekeletu had wished us to take to the white people
as a specimen of his cattle. We saw many elephants among the hills,
and my men ran off and killed three. When we came to the top
of the outer range of the hills we had a glorious view.
At a short distance below us we saw the Kafue, wending away over
a forest-clad plain to the confluence, and on the other side of the Zambesi,
beyond that, lay a long range of dark hills. A line of fleecy clouds appeared
lying along the course of that river at their base. The plain below us,
at the left of the Kafue, had more large game on it than any where else
I had seen in Africa. Hundreds of buffaloes and zebras grazed
on the open spaces, and there stood lordly elephants feeding majestically,
nothing moving apparently but the proboscis. I wished that I had been able
to take a photograph of a scene so seldom beheld, and which is destined,
as guns increase, to pass away from earth. When we descended we found
all the animals remarkably tame. The elephants stood beneath the trees,
fanning themselves with their large ears, as if they did not see us
at 200 or 300 yards distance. The number of animals was quite astonishing,
and made me think that here I could realize an image of that time
when Megatheria fed undisturbed in the primeval forests.
We saw great numbers of red-colored pigs (`Potamochoerus')
standing gazing at us in wonder. The people live on the hills,
and, having no guns, seldom disturb the game. They have never been visited,
even by half-castes; but Babisa traders have come occasionally.
Continuous rains kept us for some time on the banks of the Chiponga,
and here we were unfortunate enough to come among the tsetse.
Mr. J. N. Gray, of the British Museum, has kindly obliged me with
a drawing of the insect, with the ravages of which I have unfortunately been
too familiar.
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