574 THE ZAMBESI— ISLAND OF MENYE. Chap. XXVIII. 



brownish red. In the great valley, the Leeambye never becomes 

 of this colour. The adjacent country, so far north as is known, is 

 all level, and the soil, being generally covered with dense herbage, 

 is not abraded ; but on the eastern ridge the case is different ; 

 the grass is short, and, the elevation being great, the soil is washed 

 down by the streams, and hence the discoloration which we now 

 view. The same thing was observed on the western ridge. We 

 never saw discoloration till we reached the Quango ; that ob- 

 tained its matter from the western slope of the western ridge, 

 just as this part of the Zambesi receives its soil from the eastern 

 slope of the eastern ridge. It carried a considerable quantity of 

 wreck of reeds, sticks, and trees. We struck upon the river 

 about eight miles east of the confluence with the Kafue, and 

 thereby missed a sight of that interesting point. The cloudiness 

 of the weather was such, that but few observations could be made 

 for determining our position, so, pursuing our course, we went 

 down the left bank, and came opposite the island of Menye mak- 

 aba. The Zambesi contains numerous islands ; this was about a 

 mile and a half or two miles long, and upwards of a quarter of 

 a mile broad. Besides human population, it has a herd of buffa- 

 loes that never leave it. In the distance they seemed to be 

 upwards of sixty. The human and brute inhabitants understand 

 each other ; for when the former think they ought to avenge the 

 liberties committed on their gardens, the leaders of the latter 

 come out boldly to give battle. They told us that the only time 

 in wliich they can thin them, is when the river is full and part of 

 the island flooded. They then attack them from their canoes. 

 The comparatively small space to which they have confined 

 themselves, shows how luxuriant the vegetation of this region is ; 

 for were they in want of more pasture, as buffaloes can swim well 

 and the distance from tins bank to the island is not much more 

 than 200 yards, they might easily remove hither. The opposite 

 bank is much more distant. 



Ranges of hills appear now to run parallel with the Zambesi, 

 and are about fifteen miles apart. Those on the north ajjproach 

 nearest to the river. The inhabitants on that side are the 

 Batonga, those on the south bank are the Banyai. The hills 

 abound in buffaloes, and elephants are numerous, and many are 

 killed by the people on both banks. They erect stages on 



