ing to Uledi and his dripping comrades, who
had now come up, and were still brown-faced
with their late terrors. “ Speak, Uledi, how
came he— a cripple—to venture into the canoe?”
In response to many and searching questions
I obtained the following account.
As Uledi and his comrades were about to
push off, Frank had crawled up near the river
and bade them stop and place him in. Uledi
expostulated with him, upon the ground that I
had not mentioned anything about taking him^
and Manwa Sera, in charge of the canoes,
hurried up and coaxingly tried to persuade him
not to venture, as the river was bad; but he
repelled them with all a sick man’s impatience,
and compelled the crew to lift him into the
canoe. The Jason, being swift and well-manned,
was propelled against the eddy with ease, and
in half an hour it was racing over the small
rapids of Massesse down river. As they approached
Massassa, which was only a mile below
Massesse, the booming of the cataract made
Uledi anxious not to venture too near, until he
had viewed the falls, and for that purpose, with
Frank’s permission, he skirted the intermediate
cliffs, until they came to a little cove just above
the Massassa, where the crew held on to the
rocks. Uledi soon climbed upward and proceeded
to the rocks overhanging the fall, where he
was enabled to view the extent of the danger
at a glance. After only a few minutes’ absence
he returned to Frank, who was still seated in
the bottom of the canoe, and addressing him
said:—
“Little master, it is impossible to shoot the
falls; no canoe or boat can do it and live.”
“Bah!” said Frank contemptuously, “ did I
not see as we came down a strip of calm water
on the left, which by striking across river we
could easily reach?”
“But, master, this fall is not directly across
river, it is almost up and down (diagonally);
the lower part on the left being much farther
than that which is on the right, and whiGh
begins to break close by here. I tell you the
truth,” rejoined Uledi, as Frank shook his head
sceptically, “ little master, I have looked at all
the fall, and I can see no way by water; it will
be death to make the trial.”
“Well,” said Frank, “ what shall we do?”
“We must send to the master,” replied Uledi,
“ and tell him that we have brought our canoe
to Massassa. Meantime we can tie up our canoe
here until he comes.”
“And what is to become of me?” asked
Frank.
“We will not be long before we are back
with a kitanda” (hammock), “ and you will still
reach camp by night.”
“What, carry me about the country like a