Zachariah, and others
who had too often to be reproved for lagging behind, now took their
places in the front rank; and we had no difficulty in making very
long marches for several days, for all believed that the Mazitu would
follow our footsteps, and attack us while we slept.
A party of Babisa tobacco-traders came from the N.W. to Molamba,
while we were there; and one of them asserted several times that the
Loapula, after emerging from Moelo, received the Lulua, and then
flowed into Lake Mofu, and thence into Tanganyika; and from the last-
named Lake into the sea. This is the native idea of the geography of
the interior; and, to test the general knowledge of our informant, we
asked him about our acquaintances in Londa; as Moene, Katema, Shinde
or Shinte, who live south-west of the rivers mentioned, and found
that our friends there were perfectly well-known to him and to others
of these travelled natives. In the evening two of the Babisa came
in, and reported that the Mazitu had followed us to the village
called Chigaragara, at which we slept at the bottom of the descent.
The whole party of traders set off at once, though the sun had set.
We ourselves had given rise to the report, for the women of
Chigaragara, supposing us in the distance to be Mazitu, fled, with
all their household utensils on their heads, and had no opportunity
afterwards of finding out their mistake. We spent the night where we
were, and next morning, declining Nkomo's entreaty to go and kill
elephants, took our course along the shores of the Lake southwards.
We have only been at the Lake at one season of the year: then the
wind blows strongly from the east, and indeed this is its prevailing
direction hence to the Orange River; a north or a south wind is rare,
and seldom lasts more than three days. As the breeze now blew over a
large body of water, towards us, it was delightful; but when facing
it on the table-land it was so strong as materially to impede our
progress, and added considerably to the labour of travelling. Here
it brought large quantities of the plant (Vallisneriae), from which
the natives extract salt by burning, and which, if chewed, at once
shows its saline properties by the taste. Clouds of the kungo, or
edible midges, floated on the Lake, and many rested on the bushes on
land.
The reeds along the shores of the Lake were still crowded with
fugitives, and a great loss of life must since have taken place; for,
after the corn they had brought with them was expended, famine would
ensue. Even now we passed many women and children digging up the
roots, about the size of peas, of an aromatic grass; and their wasted
forms showed that this poor hard fare was to allay, if possible, the
pangs of hunger.
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