108 THE LEEAMBYE. 



malarial vapors. The sandier soil beyond the marks of over- 

 flow reflects painfully the sunrays, driving the poor scorched 

 hunter to despise the sport or deny the want which prompted 

 him forth upon the field. 



All sorts of herds, from a tiny, fairy-looking antelope eigh- 

 teen inches high, to the majestic buffalo, feed leisurely and 

 peacefully over these plains. Among them there was a species 

 of eland famous for its beauty. In the engraving there is a 

 representation of this splendid curiosity, out of whose midst Dr. 

 Livingstone carried one back to his men — better game in their 

 eyes by far than the finest ox. 



The Leeambye is a splendid stream six hundred yards wide 

 where the party approached it, and widening sometimes to fully 

 a mile in breadth. The banks on either side were clothed with 

 splendid forests. The winter wind had shaken off the floral 

 crown of summer, where the rays of the setting sun loved to 

 linger latest, as if they loved it best, and over the wide boughs 

 a gauzy mantle of changeable brown was thrown, through 

 Avhich every now and then the travellers had a glimpse of the 

 fresh green date palm. Sometimes the forests would open a 

 nestling place for a little village ; then their dominion would 

 be resumed along the banks of the river of which they are the 

 children and the glory. 



The party were gliding along in the narrow canoes which 

 hardly disturbed the glassy surface of the stream in its deep, 

 quiet places, and which bounded from wave to wave in the 

 rougher places, where underlying rocks resisted it, lightly as 

 winged things. The Makalaka were in their element. Stand- 

 ing erectly in the narrow boats, they plied their long, lithe 

 oars with matchless dexterity, and raced along with the reckless 

 delight of conscious masters. The Makololo are their masters 

 on the land, but they tremble over the edges of the shooting 

 bark as if their shadows in the water pointed to a sepulchre. 

 The largest animals of Africa abound along the banks of the 

 Leeambye. The people who dwell in its villages are expert 

 and courageous hunters, and they select the hippopotamus as 

 their game. 



The Manyeti, whose country borders along the river, are a 

 peaceable people. They have no cattle, therefore no contro- 



