Methods of Travelling. 255 



all the way from Tete to Chinde in a large houseboat, and 

 though it was not as comfortable travelling as by river 

 steamer, it was more interesting, as I could stop for shoot- 

 ing when I felt inclined. In the dry season, especially 

 towards the end of it, and during September, October, and 

 November, the rivers get very low, and the steamers find it 

 impossible to get far up them, and so the traveller is 

 obliged to travel by houseboat. These have a small cabin 

 or house, fitted aft, and some of these shelters are 

 large enough to hold a box or two, and a deck chair, but a 

 considerable amount of manoeuvring has to be exercised if 

 one's head is to escape many a hard bump. I always 

 think the river travelling delightful, either by river-steamer 

 or houseboat ; many small villages will be passed, and 

 a good deal of bird life will be seen. There is plenty of 

 game within a short distance of the river, but it must be 

 remembered that most of the journey is through Portuguese 

 territory, so it is best to ask permission to shoot there 

 from some commandant. 



On the Zambesi river there are several official stations, 

 and although the officials seldom care anything about 

 the game, it is a matter of courtesy not to break the 

 game laws. 



Twice I was asked by a Portuguese official to shoot as 

 many hippo as I could, as they had been upsetting native 

 canoes, and on one occasion had attacked and sunk a 

 houseboat. The Portuguese soldiers often amuse them- 

 selves by shooting at them with old Sniders, and, the 

 bullets of these rifles being made of very soft lead, and 

 having a low velocity, they wound many more than they 

 kill ; and the poor hippos try to get some of their own 

 back on the first craft they see, which is usually an old 

 man and a boy in a leaky dugout. The dugout goes to the 

 bottom in deep w T ater, and the old native and his son are 

 left lamenting. The canoe may not be worth more than a 

 few shillings, but its loss is a great disaster to a poor native, 

 who probably does not possess much more than the yard 

 of calico round -his loins and a few pots at home. 



