her long and wonderful journey. Springing from
my bed upon hearing of the threatened calamity,
I mustered twenty active men and hastened to the
scene, and soon, by inspiring every man to do
his best, we were able to lift her out of her
dangerous position, and take her to camp apparently
uninjured.
The lower end of Gavubu’s Cove was reached
on the n th , and the next day by noon the
land party and canoes were taken safely to the
lower end of Gamfwe’s Bay. As our means were
rapidly diminishing in this protracted struggle
we maintained against the natural obstacles to
our journey, we could only hope to reach the
sea by resolute and continual industry during
every hour of daylight. I accordingly instructed
the canoe-men to be ready to follow me, as soon
as they should be informed by a messenger that
the boat had safely arrived in camp.
The commencement of “ Lady Alice Rapids”?
was marked by a broad fall, and an interruption
to the rapidly rushing river by a narrow ridgy
islet of great rocks, which caused the obstructed
stream to toss its waters in lateral waves against
the centre, where they met waves from the
right bank, and overlapping formed a lengthy
dyke of foaming water.
Strong cane cables were lashed to the bow and
stern j and three men were detailed to each, while
five men assisted me in the boat. A month’s
rAnril *»77-1 “ LADY ALICE RAPIDS.” »3
experience of this kind of work had made us
skilful and bold. But the rapids were more
powerful, the river was much more contracted,
and the impediments were greater, than usual.
On our right was an upright wall of massive
boulders terminating in a narrow terrace 300 feet
high; behind the terrace, at a little distance,
rose the rude hills to the height of 1200 feet
above the river; above the hills rolled the tableland.
On our left, 400 yards from the bouldery
wall, rose a lengthy and stupendous cliff line
topped by a broad belt of forest, and at its
base rose three rocky islets, one below another,
against which the river dashed itself, disparting
with a roaring surge.
We had scarcely ventured near the top of
the rapids when, by a careless slackening of
the stern cable, the current swept the boat from
the hands of that portion of her crew whose
duty it was to lower her carefully and cautiously
down the fall, to the narrow line of ebb-flood
below the rocky projection. Away' into the
centre of the angry, foaming, billowy stream the
boat darted, dragging one man into the maddened
flood, to whom, despite our awful position, I
was able to lend a hand and lift into the boat.
“Oars, my boys, and be steady! Uledi, to
the helm!” were all the instructions I was able
to shout, after which, standing at the bow of
the boat, I guided the coxswain with my hand,
G 2