PORTUGUESE EAST AFRICA 55 



densely populated district in bees'-wax and meal 

 or " oofoo." The Ruenya contains a certain 

 amount of alluvial gold, and this is collected by 

 the natives and sold to the Banyans in quills. 

 There can be no doubt that many of the natives 

 of this district pay their hut tax out of gold 

 which they wash out of the beds of the Ruenya 

 and Mazoe rivers. One of the Banyan store- 

 keepers told us that buck " as big as oxes " were 

 plentiful along the river banks, and so we went 

 out shooting in the afternoon. But the bush 

 was frightfully dense and thick, and we had to 

 return to camp and make a dinner of eggs. It 

 was full moon that night, and as the music of 

 the night winds came rushing up the river I 

 stood on the edge of the old parapet. Below me 

 the river was bathed in splendour, and the moon- 

 rays on the alternating stretches of snow-white 

 sand and water made up a scene of exquisite 

 beauty. We had been tramping hard since we 

 left Salisbury, and on the Ruenya, or, as it is 

 called by the natives, the " Luenya," we felt 

 like jaded town children at the seaside. There 

 were no crocodiles to be seen, and the boys 

 assured us that these loathsome creatures were 

 very scarce in this river. So we swam and 

 bathed, and left much of the grime and dust 

 that we had collected on our journey from 

 M'Tokos in the noble stream. It seemed like 

 desecration, but it had to be done. 



One lovely morning the little caravan, which 

 had been strengthened by one or two voluntary 

 recruits who were trekking to Tete and desired 

 to travel with us, moved across the alternating 

 stretches of sand and water. In four or five 

 days we should see the Zambesi. The glory of 

 the soft bright air and the beauty of the scene 



