282 WILD FRUITS. 



every cesspool, that lie may describe its reeking vapors, and, by 

 long contact with impurities, becomes himself infected, sickens, 

 and dies. 



The men went about during the day, and brought back wild 

 fruits of several varieties, which I had not hitherto seen. One, 

 called mogametsa, is a bean with a little pulp round it, which 

 tastes like sponge-cake; another, named mawa, grows abundantly 

 on a low bush. There are many berries and edible bulbs almost 

 every where. The mamosho or moshomosho, and milo (a medlar), 

 were to be found near our encampment. These are both good, 

 if indeed one can be a fair judge who felt quite disposed to pass 

 a favorable verdict on every fruit Avhich had the property of being 

 eatable at all. Many kinds are better than our crab-apple or 

 sloe, and, had they the care and culture these have enjoyed, 

 might take high rank among the fruits of the world. All that 

 the Africans have thought of has been present gratification ; 

 and now, as I sometimes deposit date-seeds in the soil, and tell 

 them I have no hope whatever of seeing the fruit, it seems to 

 them as the act of the South Sea Islanders appears to us, when 

 they planted in their gardens iron nails received from Captain 

 Cook. 



There are many fruits and berries in the forests, the uses of 

 which are unknown to my companions. Great numbers of a 

 kind of palm I have never met with before were seen growing at 

 and below the confluence of the Loeti and Leeambye ; the seed 

 probably came down the former river. It is nearly as tall as the 

 palmyra. The fruit is larger than of that species ; it is about four 

 inches long, and has a soft yellow pulp round the kernel or seed; 

 when ripe, it is fluid and stringy, like the wild mango, and not 

 very pleasant to eat. 



Before we came to the junction of the Leeba and Leeambye 

 we found the banks twenty feet high, and composed of marly 

 sandstone. They are covered with trees, and the left bank has 

 the tsetse and elephants. I suspect the fly has some connection 

 with this animal, and the Portuguese in the district of Tete must 

 think so too, for they call it the Musca da elephant (the elephant 



The water of inundation covers ■ even these lofty banks, but 



