BOAZURU ISLAND. 107 



boat, asking many questions, the leading ones, as they 

 came from the interpreter s mouth, being such as these, 

 "What business is this? Why do you want to go 

 by without wishing us good morning, if you are not 

 our enemies ? Why did you not ask us if we had 

 anything to sell, or if we wanted to buy anything from 

 you ?" They were told through Moloka that we were 

 in a hurry, but would soon be returning, when we 

 would visit them. Mr. Young then gave them a piece 

 of cloth, and they appearing satisfied, told us '' we might 

 go," and paddled off themselves. I was glad we had 

 got off without fighting, though had blows been pro- 

 voked, as they most certainly would have been had Mr. 

 Young held on his course, we were not unprepared. 



The sun was just disappearing behind "Kirk's 

 Range " as we sailed into Lake Nyassa. It was a 

 beautiful evening, with a light breeze from the south- 

 east. Far ahead, bearing north-north-west, and just 

 lifting its crest above the horizon, Boazuru Island ap- 

 peared in sight, and thither we steered our course. 

 An hour and a half saw us rounding the east point 

 of the island, and w^e soon found a sheltered spot on the 

 lee side, where we landed about nine o'clock, having 

 made a capital day's run of about thirty miles of lati- 

 tude. This island is composed of huge boulders of 

 rock massed together, the highest part being about 

 seventy feet above the level of the lake. The top 

 is covered with a thick scrub underwood and a few 

 stunted trees. Its length is about half a mile, and its 

 breadth half that distance. 



On taking a walk over it after landing, I found it 

 uninhabited. Though places where fires had been 



