WAR-CRY OF THE MANGANJA. 87 



appearance it bore, have frightened old Gegara him- 

 self. Two o'clock P.M. saw us again at the oars, and 

 as the heat was very oppressive, I don't think any of 

 us enjoyed the work. 



On rounding a bend in the river I saw a large herd 

 of hippopotami a little distance ahead. Some of 

 them were lying half covered with water on a mud 

 bank, while others floated close by in deep water. 

 Though they were only a couple of hundred yards 

 ahead, the boat could not be got up. Mr. Young, Mo- 

 loka, and I, therefore, landed, and stalked to within 

 a few yards of them. There was now not a breath of 

 wind, and the silence which prevailed was only oc- 

 casionally broken by a splash in the water, or the 

 grunt of the river-horse. At last a volley pealed from 

 the long reeds on the bank above the hippopotami, 

 and two were killed, sinking in deep water, and dyeing 

 the Shire with their blood. 



The air was now rent with yells and shouts of 

 " Cooee ! Cooee ! N'konda ! N'konda !" (war ! war !) 

 and at a point some distance ahead, where the river 

 takes a sudden curve to the east, several canoes might 

 be seen crossing in haste from a large island to the 

 east bank of the river. From my position I could see 

 no village, though I felt certain there must be one 

 round the turn. The war-cry of the Manganja spread 

 over the country on the opposite side of the river, and 

 in many places groups of armed natives might be seen 

 either crowning the tops of the high hills, or standing 

 among the long reeds, their heads alone visible. We 

 at once returned to the boat, which was some two 

 hundred yards in our rear, and having made all 



