Game Becomes More
Abundant; Near Our Wooding-Places We See Herds Of Zebras, Both
Burchell's And The Mountain Variety, Pallahs (Antelope Melampus),
Waterbuck, And Wild Hogs, With The Spoor Of Buffaloes And Elephants.
Shiramba Dembe, on the right bank, is deserted; a few old iron guns
show where a rebel stockade once stood; near the river above this,
stands a magnificent Baobab hollowed out into a good-sized hut, with
bark inside as well as without.
The old oaks in Sherwood Forest,
when hollow, have the inside dead or rotten; but the Baobab, though
stripped of its bark outside, and hollowed to a cavity inside, has
the power of exuding new bark from its substance to both the outer
and inner surfaces; so, a hut made like that in the oak called the
"Forest Queen," in Sherwood, would soon all be lined with bark.
The portions of the river called Shigogo and Shipanga are bordered by
a low level expanse of marshy country, with occasional clumps of
palm-trees and a few thorny acacias. The river itself spreads out to
a width of from three to four miles, with many islands, among which
it is difficult to navigate, except when the river is in flood. In
front, a range of high hills from the north-east crosses and
compresses it into a deep narrow channel, called the Lupata Gorge.
The Portuguese thought the steamer would not stem the current here;
but as it was not more than about three knots, and as there was a
strong breeze in our favour, steam and sails got her through with
ease. Heavy-laden canoes take two days to go up this pass. A
current sweeps round the little rocky promontories Chifura and
Kangomba, forming whirlpools and eddies dangerous for the clumsy
craft, which are dragged past with long ropes.
The paddlers place meal on these rocks as an offering to the
turbulent deities, which they believe preside over spots fatal to
many a large canoe. We were slily told that native Portuguese take
off their hats to these river gods, and pass in solemn silence; when
safely beyond the promontories, they fire muskets, and, as we ought
to do, give the canoe-men grog. From the spoor of buffaloes and
elephants it appears that these animals frequent Lupata in
considerable numbers, and - we have often observed the association -
the tsetse fly is common. A horse for the Governor of Tette was sent
in a canoe from Quillimane; and, lest it should be wrecked on the
Chifura and Kangomba rocks, it was put on shore and sent in the
daytime through the pass. It was of course bitten by the tsetse, and
died soon after; it was thought that the AIR of Tette had not agreed
with it. The currents above Lupata are stronger than those below;
the country becomes more picturesque and hilly, and there is a larger
population.
The ship anchored in the stream, off Tette, on the 8th September,
1858, and Dr. Livingstone went ashore in the boat.
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