138 chinsamba's village. 



I determined at any risk to see it out, and told 

 him to go on. After a long and hot walk over this 

 vast plain, we reached the trees, and soon passed 

 through them. Here another plain presented itself, 

 only half the extent of the one we had just traversed, 

 and at the other side of it was a similar belt of 

 trees. I felt inclined to lose all confidence in my 

 guide, and pitch into him ; but seeing dissatisfaction 

 depicted on my countenance as I asked Moloka in 

 English where this man was taking us to, he re- 

 lieved my anxiety by informing me that the trees 

 we saw were on the bank of the river, and the 

 bamboos, where the elephants fed, were on the other 

 side. Beginning to feel the effects of hunger, I ate 

 the only biscuit I had with me. Another quarter of 

 an hour brought us to the edge of the belt of trees at 

 the other side of which we were to find the river. 

 Close to these trees my guide pointed out to me the 

 ruin of a village, where he said Chinsamba used to live, 

 but whence he had been driven away to the moun- 

 tains. Many skulls lay about, witnesses to the truth 

 of this statement. This village turned out to be 

 Chinsamba's, as marked on Livingstone's map in lati- 

 tude 13^ 50' south, longitude 34*^ 14' east, and close 

 to the river Lintipe. Entering this row of fine trees, 

 I suddenly found myself on the river's bank, about 

 forty feet above the water, the river being about a 

 hundred yards broad. I ascertained in crossing it 

 that the average depth at this place was two feet, and 

 the current strong. It must be a considerable stream 

 in the rains. True enough there was a dense marsh 



