BETWEEN THE ZAMBEZI AND THE PUNGWE 



On Christmas day I had a melancholy dinner at 

 Chibaute, as I could only find two eggs. Having a 

 piece of hartebeest-meat, I did not starve, but the 

 water of the Zangwe, which I was thankful to taste, 

 is abominably dirty, and it is a cruel privation for me 

 to be unable to quench my thirst. During the night 

 lions, hyaenas, and leopards vied with each other in 

 wishing me a happy Christmas, that is if I understood 

 their language. 



Leaving Chibaute to go to Mazamba, I came upon 

 the tracks of a very rare antelope, and, although I 

 did not see the animal itself, I will describe it for the 

 benefit of those who may visit this neighbourhood in 

 the future. The antelope in question is the nyala 

 (Tragelaphus angasi). This animal, which the Kafirs 

 call the bouinde, is smaller than a sable antelope, 1 

 its horns being rather like those of a bushbuck, but 

 larger. It is a very shy and cunning beast, and dwells 

 in the thickest forest. 



I spent a day at this place, where, kindly guided by 

 the commandant, I visited the chain of mountains. 

 This is indisputably of volcanic origin, pumice and 

 lava being found there. One of the summits, Mount 

 Inhamesinga, is an extinct crater. Formerly the bed 

 of a lake, like some of the old craters in Auvergne, 

 the mountain is split in consequence of seismic convul- 

 sion, and the water flowed down to the interior, leaving 

 a number of fresh-water shells attached to the sides of 



1 The author states that the nyala is as large as a sable antelope. [Ed.] 

 (143) 



