94 THE CHOBE. 



reed, and the climbing convolvulus, with stalks which felt 

 as strong as whipcord, bound the mass together. We felt 

 like pygmies in it, and often the only way we could get 

 on was by both of us leaning against a part and bending 

 it down till we could stand upon it. The perspiration 

 streamed off our bodies, and as the sun rose high, there 

 being no ventilation among the reeds, the heat was stifling, 

 and the water, which was up to the knees, felt agreeably 

 refreshing. After some hours' toil we reached one of the 

 islands. Here we met an old friend, the bramble-bush. 

 My strong moleskins were quite worn through at the knees., 

 and the leather trousers of my companion were torn and 

 nis legs bleeding. Tearing my handkerchief in two, I tied 

 the pieces round my knees, and then encountered another 

 difficulty. We Were still forty or fifty yards from the clear 

 water, but now we were opposed by great masses of papy- 

 rus, which are like palms in miniature, eight or ten feet 

 high, and an inch and a half in diameter. These were 

 laced together by twining convolvulus so strongly that the 

 weight of both of us could not make way into the clear 

 water. At last we fortunately found a passage prepared 

 by a hippopotamus. Eager as soon as we reached the 

 island to look along the vista to clear water, I stepped in 

 and found it took me at once up to the neck. 



Ecturning nearly worn out, we proceeded up the bank 

 of the Chobe till we came to the point of departure of the 

 branch Sanshureh ; we then went in the opposite direction, 

 or down the Chobe, though from the highest trees we could 

 see nothing but one vast expanse of reed, with here and 

 there a tree on the islands. This was a hard day's work -, 

 and, when we came to a deserted Bayeiye hut on an ant- 

 hill, not a bit of wood or any thing else could be got for a 

 fire except the grass and sticks of the dwelling itself. I 

 dreaded the " Tampans, " so common in all old huts; but 

 outside of it we had thousands of mosquitos, and cold 

 dew began to be deposited, so we were fain to crawl be- 

 neath its shelter. 



