BETWEEN THE ZAMBEZI AND THE PUNGWE 



descends to the sea by way of the Mediguedigue in 

 formidable masses. 



The Urema is a deep river, from seventy to one 

 hundred yards in width, which really seems to play 

 an important part in the traffic of the country. 

 Between the mouth of the Zangwe, a tributary of the 

 right of the Zambezi, and that of the Urema an affluent 

 of the left of the Pungwe, we may recognise a differ- 

 ence of level of a dozen feet. It results from this that 

 when there is heavy rain in the Zambezi district and 

 but little in that of the Pungwe, the river in flood 

 dams the course of the Zangwe, which, flowing in the 

 reverse direction, mingles with the Urema in the 

 district of the Chibante. Between the Zambezi and 

 the Pungwe is a natural communication which, at 

 the cost of a little trouble, could be converted into a 

 canal, in some ways as useful as a high road. For 

 no one knows but that the Zambezi, an eminently 

 capricious stream, may not sooner or later shift 

 its channel a mile or two away from Lacerdonia, the 

 terminal station of the future railway. 



It may be objected that the ascent of the Pungwe 

 is difficult. This is no doubt true, but it might be 

 easily improved. Then, again, that the weeds in the 

 Urema block the communication. Also true, but in 

 the rivers of Florida similar masses of weed are found 

 and the Americans have imported special machines 

 to clear the waterways of these plants. The work 

 is not expensive. There might, then, be opened a 



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