Liwonde to Fort Melangani 



again, on and on, the road getting worse and worse, 

 the caravan straggling more and more, the day 

 getting hotter and hotter. The journey seemed 

 endless; and to add to our misgivings we saw the 

 Dombole Mission in the distance, but on the wrong 

 side of us. ''Cooky" was sent for and questioned, 

 but reassured us by declaring that all was well. 



We reached the foot of the mountains at last, 

 and after a short rest were shown a steep track. 

 Could this be the road ? Sir Alfred Sharpe had told 

 us he had been up it in his motor car; and as motor 

 cars might possibly do funny things in Nyasaland, 

 up we went. It was steep certainly, and I was 

 carried most of the way looking backwards instead 

 of forwards — the best way of ascending a slope. 

 The view between the trees was very fine, and I 

 was particularly struck by the beautiful, variegated 

 tints of the leaves of the acacia trees, all in their 

 spring foliage, the colours varying from a tender 

 pink to deep crimson, or the hue of a copper beech. 

 On this occasion we had forgotten to carry our 

 aneroids, but we heard afterwards that the top of 

 the pass leading on to the plateau was about five 

 thousand feet. Once over the summit, we found 

 ourselves on a large open, rolling down, almost 

 treeless. The air was cool and pleasant. In the 

 distance ahead we saw what we believed to be the 

 fort, and on we went rejoicing, to find that what we 

 had taken for the fort was a native kraal, and that 

 the fort itself was still over an hour distant, and 

 behind us to our left. " Cooky " had mistaken the 

 road. We sent for him and reviled him. 



53 5 



