BANKS OF THE CHOBE. 193 



When we tried to enter, the water always became so deep that 

 we were fain to desist. We concluded that we had come to the 

 banks of the river we were in search of, so we directed our course 

 to some trees which appeared in the south, in order to get a bed 

 and a view of the adjacent locality. Having shot a leche, and 

 made a glorious fire, we got a good cup of tea and had a com- 

 fortable night. While collecting wood that evening, I found a 

 bird's nest consisting of live leaves sewn together with threads 

 of the spider's web. Nothing could exceed the airiness of this 

 pretty contrivance; the threads had been pushed through small 

 punctures and thickened to resemble a knot. I unfortunately 

 lost it. This was the second nest I had seen resembling that of 

 the tailor-bird of India. 



Next morning, by climbing the highest trees, we could see a 

 fine large sheet of water, but surrounded on all sides by the same 

 impenetrable belt of reeds. This is the broad part of the River 

 Chobe, and is called Zabesa. Two tree-covered islands seemed 

 to be much nearer to the water than the shore on which we were, 

 so we made an attempt to get to them first. It was not the reeds 

 alone we had to pass through ; a peculiar serrated grass, which 

 at certain angles cut the hands like a razor, was mingled with 

 the reed, and the climbing convolvulus, with stalks which felt as 

 strong as whipcord, bound the mass together. We felt like pig- 

 mies 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 trowsers of my companion were torn and his 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 papyrus, 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- 



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