NAVIGATION OF THE RIVER LEONA 209 



We shouted to each other that the worst of it lay behind us, 

 and such for a time seemed to be the case, the river widening out 

 to about eighty yards across. Here the main channel was clearly 

 marked. It might be supposed that we should have taken this 

 opportunity to turn the launch into her original position, but we 

 had twice during the morning been in difificulties with the pump, 

 which, as the injector would not work, was our sole means of filling 

 the boiler. I was afraid that the strain of steaming against the 

 current might prove too much for the launch. The decision to go 

 on without turning her was, I think, under the circumstances, the 

 right one, the more so as directly after the descent of the river 

 the pump became further strained, with the result that it was 

 impossible to refill the boiler save by hand. 



Presently the hilly shores once more gave place to low banks, 

 and islands began to appear in the stream. The lower river has 

 many of these groups of flat islands covered with stones and 

 coarse grass. When we got in among them the river broke up 

 into a dozen channels which all looked alike. We, of course, chose 

 the largest. Again it branched. Again we chose the largest', and 

 again. 



At length the channel we were following, instead of opening off 

 into the main river, subdivided into a couple of very small streams. 

 The current was as strong as ever, and the depth of water 

 appeared to be about three feet. A small crested grebe was utter- 

 ing its peculiar, melancholy cry. Ahead the banks seemed to 

 draw together to a jutting corner, beyond which we could not see. 

 Cattle was at the helm, I was standing up on the fore-hatch trying 

 to catch sight of what we were coming to. 



All this time we could not slacken speed, for the current tore 

 along and we outdid the current. The water had the same strange 

 appearance of running downhill ; it seemed to drop away from us 

 at an extraordinary angle. The force of the current forced us to 

 keep steam up to a high degree of pressure, up to 45 lb., which 

 was 15 lb. beyond safety. 



At this, point the stream was not above eighteen feet wide, and 

 we could almost touch the banks on either side. We were now 

 about half-way downhill, so to speak. The rush of the water, the 



