paratively narrow channel, and obtained at the
first cast 158 feet; half an hour afterwards I
obtained 163; a third time, 79 feet.
On our left, in south latitude 3° 14' 4", We came
to the Ibari (river) Nkutu, issuing from east-
north-east through a deepening cleft in the tableland,
and 450 yards wide at the mouth, a powerful
and deep river. There is no doubt that this
Ibari Nkutu is the Coango or Kwango of the
Portuguese, the sources of which Livingstone
crossed, on his way to Loanda in 1854, and which
takes its rise in the watershed that separates the
basin of the great river from that of the Zambezi.
Six miles below the confluence of the Nkutu
river with the Livingstone we drew our vessels
close to a large and thick grove, to cook breakfast,
and with a faint hope that in the meantime
our guides would appear. Fires were kindled,
and the women were attending to the porridge
of cassava flour for their husbands. Frank and
I were hungrily awaiting our cook’s voice to
announce our meal ready, when, close to us,
several loud musket-shots startled us all, and six
of our men fell wounded. Though we were
taken considerably at a disadvantage, long habit
had taught us how to defend ourselves in a bush,
and a desperate fight began, and lasted an hour,
ending in the retreat of the savages, but leaving
us with fourteen of our men wounded. This
was our thirty-second fight, and last.
rM a r ch 9, 11877.] A NARROW ESCAPE.
LMwana lb a k a .J
After the wounded had been tended, and
breakfast despatched, we proceeded down river,
and two miles below we discovered the settlement
to which our late antagonists belonged. But we
continued our journey until 2 P.M., when, coming
to a small island, we disembarked. At 4 P.M.
our long absent guides appeared, and, as they
were disinclined to halt, we followed them down
river, until they stopped at a large settlement
called Mwana Ibaka, which occupied a low semicircular
terrace at the base of tall hills. Imagining
that there was not the slightest fear of a
rupture after being heralded by our friends, we
steered for the shore; but as we approached,
the shore swarmed with hundreds of excited
men, with brass-banded muskets in their hands.
Through sheer surprise at the frantic savagery
so suddenly displayed, we floated down dangerously
near the aiming men, before we observed
that our guides were making violent gestures
for us to move off. This recalled us to our
senses, and we rowed away before the fierce
people had drawn trigger. Three miles below
we encamped on the right bank, and at sunset
our guides appeared, but halted on the left
bank.
On the morning of the 10th, at 6 A.M., the
downward voyage was continued, between lofty
and picturesque shores, here bold and precipitous,
there wooded from base to summit— here great