189 



CHAPTER XXX. 



ONCE MORE AFLOAT. 



To occupy time and prevent it hanging heavily 

 upon my hand, I resolved to make a trip of some 

 miles up the main river, and float down it upon a 

 raft. This move was not relished by my followers 

 However, I put the screw on, so if there were any 

 murmurs of disapprobation among themselves after- 

 wards, they were careful to keep them from my ears. 

 Upon the heels of dawn a start was made, several of 

 the Mantatees accompanying us ; a refreshing breeze 

 played through the trees, and the ground was in 

 excellent condition for walking. Four trees I re- 

 cognised, or thought I did so, from their close resem- 

 blance to those of India. If not identical as to variety, 

 they are evidently of the same species. They are the 

 palas, mango, sal, and m Jiowa. The timber of this 

 part of Africa, and, in fact, of the colony, is generally 

 very hard, and so possessed of little buoyancy, 

 although there are, of course, exceptions ; but no 

 land, I believe, produces finer woods for turners, 

 furniture-makers, or other ornamental mechanics. 



The river also seems to shift its bed frequently, 

 for in places I found the evidences of old water- 

 courses, now densely covered with brush, reeds, and 



