PALABALA AND YELALA. 63 
damaging myself in the perilous enterprise, or even 
tumbling headlong into the river; but somehow, by means 
of a rope and a stout rod, I managed at last to reach a 
ledge of rock, where the spray of the great waves fell, and 
thence I made my way to a series of little caverns in the 
wall of stone, whence I could view the Falls of Yelala at 
my ease. ; 
In all probability the Congo never descends here more 
than twelve feet at a time, but the constant succession of 
falls and the obstructing rocks lash the water into a state 
of indescribable fury. It is a splendid race of waves. 
Some seem to outstrip the others, and every now and then 
the water rebounding from the descent meets the oncoming 
mass, and their contact sends a shoot of foam and clouds 
of spray into the air. The rocks near the water’s edge 
are covered with a long, filamentous water-weed of intense 
verdure, and looking like masses of long, green hair. White 
plumbago and many bright flowers are growing in the 
interstices of the grey rocks, over which large blue and 
red lizards chase the flies that are half-stupidly basking in 
the sunlight. There is a great overhanging mass of rock 
which the shade never quite deserts, and where the native 
fishermen are frying the just-caught fish for their mid-day 
meal. The wicker-work fishing baskets and traps are 
lying about, emptied of their contents, of which such as 
are not being smoked or grilled are tied together in threes 
and fours, and put in the shade till their captors are ready 
to depart. Sometimes one finny monster, as big as a 
salmon, is lying apart by himself, still gasping with his 
poor expanding and contracting gills, as he les in a death 
agony in the dry, hot air. Soon his red gills and his 
entrails will be torn out and thrown where other heaps 
of fish refuge are already lying—centres of attraction 
to the buzzing flies and the fly-hunting lizards, and 
an all-absorbing theme of contemplation to the hungry 
black and white vultures that perch irresolutely on the 
neighbouring rocks. 
The chief, and most of the men who accompanied us, 
had stripped, and were bathing with much merriment and 
