I«i0 NAVIGATION OF THE LEEAMBYE. 



now are, down to Mosioatunya, there are many long 

 reaches, where a vessel equal to the Thames steamers ply- 

 ing between the bridges could run as freely as they do on 

 the Thames. It is often, even here, as broad as that river 

 at London Bridge; but, without accurate measurement of 

 the depth, one could not say which contained most water. 

 There are, however, many and serious obstacles to a con- 

 tinued navigation for hundreds of miles at a stretch. 

 About ten miles below the confluence of the Loeti, for in- 

 stance, there are many large sand-banks in the stream; then 

 you have a hundred miles to the river Simah, where a 

 Thames steamer could ply at all times of the year; but, 

 again, the space between Simah and Katima-molelo has five 

 or six rapids with cataracts, one of which — Gonye — could 

 not be passed at any time without portage. Between 

 these rapids there are reaches of still, deep water, of 

 several miles in length. Beyond Katima-molelo to the 

 confluence of the Chobe you have nearly a hundred miles, 

 again, of a river caj>able of being navigated in the same 

 way as in the Barotse valley. 



Now, I do not say that this part of the river presents a 

 very inviting prospect for extemporaneous European enter- 

 prise; but when we have a pathway which requires only 

 the formation of portages to make it equal to our canals 

 for hundreds of miles, where the philosophers supposed 

 there was naught but an extensive sandy desert, we must 

 confess that the future partakes at least of the elements 

 of hope. My deliberate conviction was and is that the 

 part of the country indicated is as capable of supporting 

 millions of inhabitants as it is of its thousands. The grass 

 of the Barotse valley, for instance, is such a densely-matted 

 mass, that, when "laid," the stalks bear each other up, so 

 that one feels as if walking on the sheaves of a haystack, 

 and the leches nestle under it to bring forth their young 

 The soil which produces this, if placed under the plough, 

 instead of being mere pasturage, would yield grain sqfl» 

 cient to feed vast multitudes. 



