208 THE LEEAMBYE. Chap. XI. 



Our course at this time led us to a part above Sesheke, called 

 Katonga, where there is a village belonging to a Bashubia man 

 named Sekhosi— latitude 17° 29' 13", longitude 24° 33'. The 

 river here is somewhat broader than at Sesheke, and certainly 

 not less than six hundred yards. It flows somewhat slowly in the 

 first part of its eastern course. When the canoes came from Sek- 

 hosi to take us over, one of the comrades of Sebituane rose, and, 

 looking to Sekeletu, called out, " The elders of a host always 

 take the lead in an attack." This was understood at once ; and 

 Sekeletu, with all the young men, were obliged to give the 

 elders the precedence, and remain on the southern bank and see 

 that all went orderly into the canoes. It took a considerable 

 time to ferry over the whole of our large party, as, even with 

 quick paddling, from six to eight minutes were spent in the 

 mere passage from bank to bank. 



Several days were spent in collecting canoes from different 

 villages on the river, which we now learned is called by the 

 whole of the Barotse the Liambai, or Leeambye. This we could 

 not ascertain on our first visit, and, consequently, called the river 

 after the town, "Sesheke." This term Sesheke means "white 

 sand-banks," many of which exist at this part. There is another 

 village in the valley of the Barotse likewise called Sesheke, and 

 for the same reason ; but the term Leeambye means " the large 

 river," or the river par excellence. Luambeji, Luambesi, Ambezi, 

 Ojimbesi, and Zambesi, &c, are names applied to it at different 

 parts of its course, according to the dialect spoken, and all pos- 

 sess a similar signification, and express the native idea of this 

 magnificent stream being the main drain of the country. 



In order to assist in the support of our large party, and at the 

 same time to see the adjacent country, I went several times, 

 during our stay, to the north of the village for game. The 

 country is covered with clumps of beautiful trees, among which 

 fine open glades stretch away in every direction ; when the river 

 is in flood these are inundated, but the tree-covered elevated 

 spots are much more numerous here than in the country between 

 the Chobe and the Leeambye. The soil is dark loam, as it is 

 everywhere on spots reached by the inundation, while among the 

 trees it is sandy, and not covered so densely with grass as else- 

 where. A sandy ridge covered with trees, running parallel to, 



