MODE OF SPENDING THE DAY. 265 



CHAPTER XIV. 



Increasing Beanty of the Country. — Mode of spending the Day. — The People and 

 the Falls of Gonye. — A Makololo Foray. — A second prevented, and Captives de- 

 livered up. — Politeness and Liberality of the People. — The Rains. — Present of 

 Oxen. — The fugitive Barotse. — Sekobinyane's Misgovernment. — Bee-eaters and 

 other Birds. — Fresh-water Sponges. — Current. — Death from a Lion's Bite at 

 Libonta. — Continued Kindness. — Arrangements for spending the Night during 

 the Journey. — Cooking and Washing. — Abundance of animal Life. — Different 

 Species of Birds. — Water-fowl. — Egyptian Geese. — Alligators. — Narrow Escape 

 of one of my Men. — Superstitious Feelings respecting the Alligator. — Large 

 Game. — The most vulnerable Spot. — Gun Medicine. — A Sunday. — Birds of 

 Song. — Depravity; its Treatment. — Wild Fruits. — Green Pigeons. — Shoals of 

 Fish. — Hippopotami. 



SOth of November, 1853. At Gonye Falls. No rain has fallen 

 here, so it is excessively hot. The trees have put on their gay- 

 est dress, and many flowers adorn the landscape, yet the heat 

 makes all the leaves droop at midday and look languid for want 

 of rain. If the country increases as much in beauty in front as it 

 has done within the last four degrees of latitude, it will be indeed 

 a lovely land. 



We all felt great lassitude in traveling. The atmosphere is 

 oppressive both in cloud and sunshine. The evaporation from 

 the river must be excessively great, and I feel as if the fluids of 

 the system joined in the general motion of watery vapor upward, 

 as enormous quantities of water must be drunk to supply its 

 place. 



When under way our usual procedure is this : We get up 

 a little before five in the morning ; it is then beginning to dawn. 

 While I am dressing, coffee is made ; and, having filled my 

 pannikin, the remainder is handed to my companions, who eag- 

 erly partake of the refreshing beverage. The servants are busy 

 loading the canoes, while the principal men are sipping the cof- 

 fee, and, that being soon over, we embark. The next two hours 

 are the most pleasant part of the day's sail. The men pad- 

 dle away most vigorously ; the Barotse, being a tribe of boat- 



