presently other dykes appeared, some mere low
narrow ridges of rock, and others, much larger
and producing tall trees, inhabited by the Baswa
tribe. Among these islets the left stream rushed
down in cascades or foamy sheets, over low
terraces, with a fall of from one foot to ten feet.
The Baswas, no doubt, have recently fled to
these islets to seek refuge from some powerful
tribe situated inland west of the river.
The main stream, 900 yards wide, rushed towards
the east-north-east, and, after a mile of
rapids, tilted itself against a hilly ridge that lay
north and south, the crest of which was probably
300 feet above the river. With my glass, from
the fork o f a tree 20 feet above the ground, I
saw at once that a descent by the right side
was an impossibility, as the waves were enormous,
and the slope so great that the river’s face was
all a foam; and that at the base of the hilly
ridge which obstructed its course the river seemed
piling itself into a watery bank, whence it escaped
into a scene of indescribable confusion down to
the horror of whirling pools, and a mad confluence
of tumbling, rushing waters. It was now quite
easy to understand why our friends the Kankore
people, in attempting to illustrate the scene at the
First Cataract, placed one hand overlapping the
other— they meant to say that the water, driven
with impetuosity against the hill, rose up and
overlapped the constant flow from the steep slope.
, Ian. 6, 1877- 1 -WE HAUL THE CANOES OVERLAND. 29 X
[First C a ta ra c t. J
i decided, therefore, to go d o w n along the
left stream, overland, and to ascertain the best
route I took eight men with me, leaving v
-uard the boat. Within two hours we had explored
the jungle, and “ blared” a path below
the falls— a distance of two miles.
Then returning to camp I sent Fra ,* off wnh
a detachment of fifty men with axes, to clear
the oath and a musket-armed guard of fifteen
m e n to be stationed in the woods parallel with
Te projected land route, and, leaving a guard
If twenty men to protect the camp, I myself
rowed up river along the left bank, a distance
of three miles. Within a bend, a mile above
fur camp, 1 discovered a small black-water river,
about forty yards wide, issuing from the sou -
„est which 1 named Black River, from die colour
of its water. Two miles above this, the affluent
tumami, which Livingstone calls Youngs R -
i , „„f ver " entered the great «stsrtreeaamm, buyy a. mouth 600
vards wide, between low banks densely covered
with trees. At noon I took an observation of
the su n -th e declination of which being south
gave me a clear water horizon-and ascertaine
it to be south latitude o 32 o .
By noon of the 6th, having desceiffled wr
the canoes as near as prudence would perm
to the first fall of the left stream we were rea
dy for hauling the canoes Overland^ A road,
,5 feet in width, had been cut through the