2 58 OUR SEARCH FOR A WILDERNESS. 



Vampires (Desmodus rufus) are so abundant at Matope 

 that every evening one of the servants collects the chair 

 cushions on the veranda and packs them under an up- 

 turned chair. Otherwise, the dogs, bitten while sleeping on 

 these cushions, would ruin them with their blood. We swung 

 our hammocks on the veranda and kept one light burning, 

 and although the bats squeaked shrilly throughout the night, 

 none of us were bitten. 



Early next morning we packed up and set out, and in a 

 few minutes a launch landed us at the foot of the falls. This 

 portage was only about a hundred yards in length, bringing 

 us to Perseverance Landing. Here were several tent-boats, 

 most of them filled with " pork-knockers." We stored our 

 luggage in the one reserved for us and climbed into a tent 

 ballyhoo with ten paddlers in addition to the bowman and 

 steersman — all big, powerful, piratical looking blacks, ex- 

 cept the steersman, who was an Indian. Now came the mast 

 exciting part of our trip, passing up the series of rapids which 

 filled the whole bed of the river. It took us until noon to 

 pass them. A smooth expanse of water would indicate depth 

 sufficient to float a steamer. Then a bar of granite would 

 appear, rising on shore into huge boulders and forming a 

 series of foaming, tumbling waves across the river. In such 

 a place there were numerous small islands and the width 

 increased greatly, while the water everywhere was shallow, 

 with channels ramifying here and there. 



As we approached one of these rapids the bowman stood 

 up and the men braced themselves for the tremendous ex- 

 ertion. Starting with a slow, steady stroke, this became 

 quicker and quicker as the white water was reached, then 

 the bowman, using his long paddle lever-like against the 

 thwart, held the ballyhoo steady, while the men drove her 

 through the swirling water. The current became stronger 

 and stronger, the canoe seemed to slow down, be stationary, 



