VAST PRAIRIE. 217 



them, that I gave up the chase, and, turning round, 

 pursued my course. 



About ten o'clock I left the forest through which 

 I had been walking for some days, and entered a 

 vast prairie of long grass, varying from three to seven 

 feet in height. While crossing it, which occupied 

 about four hours, I saw no sign of any kind of game, 

 save the pups of a lion some days old. Crossing this 

 plain the heat was most oppressive. I struck the 

 Rivi Rivi at its junction with the Shire about two 

 o'clock, and halted for an hour under a fine tree, 

 cooked some coffee, had a smoke, and then leaving 

 my porters with orders to await my return, walked 

 up the Rivi Rivi about three miles. There was but 

 little water in the river, the sandy bed of which was 

 about a hundred yards wide here. Wherever the 

 sand was dry, it was actually covered with footprints 

 of elephants, buffalo, koodoo, hartebeest, and many 

 other different kinds of antelopes. Both banks of the 

 river are covered with a dense reed jungle about 

 fifteen feet high, extending inland for nearly a mile. 

 Doubtless this was the stronghold of thousands of wild 

 beasts who nightly drank the water of this stream. I 

 saw that to hunt this place with any hope of success 

 I should remain for several days, and as this was 

 utterly impossible, I returned to the porters, and after 

 a few minutes' rest gave the order to start again. 



Continuing the march along the bank of the Shire till 

 near sunset, I arrived at a small Manganja village a few 

 miles above Gegara's ; and as the chief was particularly 

 civil, and begged of me to spend the night with him, I 

 resolved to do so, and told my men the day's work 



