hill shoulders sloping abruptly to the edge of
the deep river, there retreating into wooded
valleys between opposing ridges. Our guides
overtook us, but they would hold no conversation
with us, until, arriving at the woods of Ndande-
Njoko, at 10 A.M., they changed their minds,
crossed over to the right bank, and halted for
breakfast. We also stopped, and renewed our
intercourse with them, while they began vehemently
to excuse themselves from being the cause
of Mwana Ibaka’s outrageously wild conduct,
and of not warning us of the murderous community
which had attacked us in the grove the
day previous, and which had caused us such a
grievous loss. We excused them gladly, and
then took an opportunity of promising more
brass wire to them if they would accompany
us to the cataract; but our friends required it in
advance. But having already been paid at
Chumbiri most bounteously for services which
they had as yet shown no disposition to give,
and as we felt assured they would not fulfil
any new engagement, we resolved to depend
upon ourselves.
When I came to reflect upon the manner we
had been treated above river by the cannibals
who had netted us in at the Sixth Cataract of
the Stanley Falls, and the extraordinarily cunning
king of Chumbiri and his sons, I perceived that
the conduct of both had alike sprung from
March ia, »877-1 STORMS ON THE LIVINGSTONE. 55
| Stanley Pool, j
contempt of people of whom they knew nothing.
Though I have seen five hundred African chiefs,
it may not be amiss to record here m y firm
belief that the mild-voiced king of Chumbiri is
the most plausible rogue of all Africa.
Near sunset we camped in a little cove below
precipitous red cliffs, which had contracted the
river to iooo yards in width. The upper parts
of these cliffs consisted of hard grey sandstone,
overlying a soft red sandstone.
The n t h March was passed without further
incident than the usual storm— south-wester—
which blew almost every day, and often made
the river dangerous to low-board river canoes.
The river was very deep, and flowed with a
current of 3 knots an hour, and varied in width
from 1000 to 1400 yards, pent in by the steep
but wooded slopes of the hilly ridges that rose
to the height of 600 feet above us. Red buffaloes
and small antelope were abundant on the ng t
bank, but not even a shot dared we fire, lest it
might startle some frenzied savage to sound the
call to war, and so alarm the people at the
cataract the terrors of which we were constantly
exaggerating in. our thoughts.
About m A.M. of the 12th, the river graduaUy
expanded from 1400 yards to 2500 yards, which
admitted us in view of a mighty breadth of river,
which the men at once, with happy appropriateness,
termed “ a pool.” Sandy islands rose m