Ten Or Twelve Miles A Day Were A Good March
For Both The Men And Myself; And It Was Not The Length Of The Marches,
But Continuing Day After Day To Perform The Same Distance,
That Was So Fatiguing.
It was in this case much longer
than appears on the map, because we kept out of the way of villages.
I drank less than the natives when riding, but all my clothing was now
constantly damp from the moisture which was imbibed in large quantities
at every pond.
One does not stay on these occasions to prepare water
with alum or any thing else, but drinks any amount without fear.
I never felt the atmosphere so steamy as on the low-lying lands
of the Zambesi, and yet it was becoming cooler than it was on the highlands.
We crossed the rivulets Kapopo and Ue, now running, but usually dry.
There are great numbers of wild grape-vines growing in this quarter;
indeed, they abound every where along the banks of the Zambesi.
In the Batoka country there is a variety which yields
a black grape of considerable sweetness. The leaves are very large and harsh,
as if capable of withstanding the rays of this hot sun;
but the most common kinds - one with a round leaf and a greenish grape,
and another with a leaf closely resembling that of the cultivated varieties,
and with dark or purple fruit - have large seeds, which are
strongly astringent, and render it a disagreeable fruit.
The natives eat all the varieties; and I tasted vinegar made by a Portuguese
from these grapes.
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