VII THE VICTORIA FALLS 133 



a river more than a mile broad, suddenly tumbling 

 over a precipice 400 feet in depth, which runs in a 

 perfectly straight line across its entire breadth ; and 

 perhaps from these naked facts, imagination may 

 picture in some degree how grand a sight must be 

 that of the Victoria Falls of the Zambesi. The river 

 tumbles into a narrow rent in the earth which runs 

 right across its course. This rent, due to some con- 

 vulsion ot Nature, is only about 100 yards in breadth, 

 and the outlet from it, which is near the northern 

 bank, is still narrower. Both sides of this fissure, a 

 mile in breadth, into which the river plunges, are 

 perfectly precipitous, so that one can walk along the 

 edge as far as the outlet, right opposite the falls, and 

 on the same level as the river above them. The 

 even face of the falls is marred by two islands, both 

 near the southern bank, one of which was named 

 Garden Island by Dr. Livingstone ; this, however, 

 does not much matter, as, owing to the dense spray 

 which ascends from the chasm high into the air, 

 more than 200 or 300 yards can never be seen 

 at once. As we stood facing the falls the roar was 

 deafening, and so dense was the spray that, except 

 when a puff of wind blew it momentarily aside, we 

 could see absolutely nothing. But these glimpses 

 were magnificent. One stands, it must be understood, 

 on the very edge of the chasm, on a level with the 

 river above, and only separated from the cataract 

 by the breadth of the opening (about 100 yards), 

 into which it dashes, so that when a sudden puff 

 of wind blows away the spray immediately in front 

 one sees the beautiful blue river, studded with 

 thickly-wooded, palm-bearing islands, seemingly as 

 still and quiet as a lake, flowing tranquilly on heedless 

 of its coming danger, till with a crash it leaps in one 



