apologies because we had to sit on wooden boxes, not
on chairs, made us blush, for we knew that the said
chairs were there once, but now were gracing the
British mess-room at Umtali.
When speaking of roughing it in the interior, the
want of food and the necessaries of life, Commandant
Bethencourt was slightly sarcastic. 4 What strange
people you English are to do such things ! ’ he said.
‘We Portuguese might, perhaps, do them for our
country, but for a Company—never! ’
Now we started in good earnest for the coast,
refreshed by our three days’ rest at Massi-Kessi
under the kind roof of the Portuguese; our cart
had arrived, and our eleven donkeys and men
looked fit, despite the evil road they had had to
traverse.
Two roads from here were open to us to Beira_
one by the Pungwe, the other by the Buzi Eiver. We
hesitated somewhat in our choice, for the latter, we
were told, was less swampy, and the fertile district of
Umhwan would have interested us—where they grow
the best tobacco in these parts, and the prospects of
which for agricultural purposes, they said, are brilliant
; but, as the season was growing late, and the
rams might come on any day, we decided on taking
the quicker and more frequented route. Moreover,
we were anxious to witness for ourselves the calamities
which had befallen Messrs. Heany and Johnson
on their pioneer route, and to form our own opinion
as to its possibility for the future.
Our first halt was at the Mineni Eiver, a tributary
of the Eevwe, which we reached after an easy journey,
marked only by the upsetting of our cart when we
least expected it, an accident which occurred for the
first and only time. The Mineni is a rapid stream,
flanked by rich tropical vegetation, with graceful
Bamboos and lovely ferns overhanging the water ; it
supplied a deficiency we had long felt in Mashona-
land scenery, namely, water in conjunction with mountains
and rich vegetation. The greens are peculiarly
vivid here, and the red young leaves of some of the
trees give the appearance of autumnal tints, and form
a feature peculiar to African landscape. In its rocky
bed we dared to bathe without fear of crocodiles, an
ever-present terror to those who venture into the
sluggish sandy pools of Eastern Africa.
Messrs. Heany and Johnson undoubtedly did good
work in preparing their road, for which work we
probably are the only people who are devoutly thankful,
for ours is the only wheeled vehicle which has
traversed it in its entirety since the single pioneer
coach went up to Umtali, after infinite difficulty and
weeks of disaster, with such sorry tales of fever, fly,
and swamp, that .no waggons have since ventured to
repeat the experiment. The trees which they had
cut down, and the culverts which they had made over
the dongas, assisted us materially, and we stepped
along our road right merrily.
The farther we went the more reason we had to
be thankful for our frail cart and homely asses.
Others we passed in dire distress whose bearers 'had
deserted them, and who could not find more: we