fused— he waved his hand too often, and thereby
confused the steersman—in consequence of which
it was guided over the very worst part of the
rapids, and though we signalled with cloth we
were unheeded, and the boat, whose timbers
had never been fractured before, now plunged
over a rock, which crashed' a hole 6 inches in
diameter in her stern, and nearly sent Frank
headlong over the bow. Naturally there was a
moment of excitement, but by dint of shouting,
frantic gestures, and energy on the part of the
crew, the poor wounded boat was brought
towards shore, with her bow in the air and her
stern buried.
“ Ah, Frank! Frank! Frank!” I cried, “my
boat, my poor boat, after so many thousands
of miles, so many cataracts, to receive such a
blow as this, on a contemptible bit of rapids
like the Upper Mowa!”—-I could have wept
aloud; but the leader of an Expedition has but
little leisure for tears, or sentiment, so I turned
to repair her, and this, with the aid of Frank,
I was enabled to do most effectually in one day.
All the canoes arrived successively during the
25th and 26th without accident. On the 27th,
after first conveying the goods of the Expedition
and forming a new camp, below the Lower and
Greater Mowa Falls, on a projection of terrace
extending from the debouchure of the Mowa
Brook, which overhung the Mowa Cove, we
rMay *7. i877-1 ULEDI: HIS EXCELLENT QUALITIES. 12 1
[ Mowa. J
d ro p p ed our canoes down along the bank and
through a cleft in the ledge already described,
and by 3 P.M. had passed the Great Mowa Falls,
and everybody was safe in camp.
An event occurred this day which I shall never
forget. I would, gladly leave it out, but as the
historian of the journey, may not do so. It
touches human nature, and reveals its weakness,
despite the possession of grand and noble, even
matchless, qualities. The incident relates to
Uledi, the coxswain of the Lady Alice, the best
soldier, sailor, and artisan, and the most faithful
servant, of the Expedition. Up to this date
Uledi had saved thirteen persons from drowning.
Simply because I wished it he had risked his
own life to save the lives of others; and this
heroic obedience, though it did not really elevate
him much above the other first-class men of the
Expedition, such as Manwa Sera the chief, Safeni
the councillor, Wadi Reharti the store-keeper,
and Kachéché the detective, had endeared him
to me above all thè rest. Uledi was not a handsome
man; his face was marred by traces of
the small-pox, and his nostrils were a little too
dilated for beauty; but “ handsome is that handsome
does.” He was not a tall man; h e . was
.short, and of compact frame; but every ounce
of his ^strength he devoted to my service. I
never sought in him for the fine sentiments
which elevate men into heroes; but the rude