68 CHIEFS & CITIES OF CENTEAL AFRICA 



that recalled some Scottish glen ; but the stones and 

 boulders lay bare, for the water had already dried, 

 except where it had collected in some deep cup, and 

 here the reflection was so bright and clear that it was 

 easy to imagine the mirrored picture reality. By 

 these still pools were gathered tracks of many beasts, 

 but steadily we averted our eyes and walked on, 

 looking rather at gay, star - shaped pink and blue 

 flowers that grew along the banks ; and it was pleas- 

 ant walking, for thick foliage trees branched overhead, 

 having gained height and luxuriance from the moisture 

 below. Presently we came to a series of four sheer 

 walls of rock, one immediately below the other, like 

 giant's steps, each 20 to 40 feet in height. In the 

 time of the rains, when the torrents sweep down 

 from above, the eff"ect must be very grand. It was 

 evident, we thought, that at the bottom of these we 

 should find the main stream, and we scrambled down 

 with little difficulty. But disappointment awaited us, 

 the Mao Kabi had spread into an immense swamp 

 that extended as far as the eye could see. It was a 

 desolate spot, and there was stillness all around. No 

 bird moved, nor any beast, for the sun was already 

 high in the heavens, and all living things sought 

 shelter from its hard rays. 



It would have been a senseless waste of time to 

 skirt the morass, and very difiicult, so we determined 

 to climb the nearest brae, in the hope that from its 

 eminence we might gain a view that would direct 

 our course. It was two or three hundred feet high, 

 and precipitous, and the scrub that grew along its 

 sides, while thick enough to impede our progress, was 

 not high enough to give any shade. When we reached 



