After Three Hours' Sail, On The Morning Of The 29th, The River Was
Narrowed Again By The Mountains Of Mburuma, Called Karivua, Into One
Channel, And Another Rapid Dimly Appeared.
It was formed by two
currents guided by rocks to the centre.
In going down it, the men
sent by Sekeletu behaved very nobly. The canoes entered without
previous survey, and the huge jobbling waves of mid-current began at
once to fill them. With great presence of mind, and without a
moment's hesitation, two men lightened each by jumping overboard;
they then ordered a Botoka man to do the same, as "the white men must
be saved." "I cannot swim," said the Batoka. "Jump out, then, and
hold on to the canoe;" which he instantly did. Swimming alongside,
they guided the swamping canoes down the swift current to the foot of
the rapid, and then ran them ashore to bale them out. A boat could
have passed down safely, but our canoes were not a foot above the
water at the gunwales.
Thanks to the bravery of these poor fellows, nothing was lost,
although everything was well soaked. This rapid is nearly opposite
the west end of the Mburuma mountains or Karivua. Another soon
begins below it. They are said to be all smoothed over when the
river rises. The canoes had to be unloaded at this the worst rapid,
and the goods carried about a hundred yards. By taking the time in
which a piece of stick floated past 100 feet, we found the current to
be running six knots, by far the greatest velocity noted in the
river.
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