122 LEEAHBYE IN SPRING. 



gladly disposed to enter, and in which his singular influence 

 will linger through all the opening history of that continent. 



The journey up the river from Sesheke was along the same 

 splendid Leeambye which we mentioned in a former chapter. 

 The broad surface, the rapids and wild falls were, of course, the 

 same, only the deep brown hues of winter had yielded to the 

 gorgeous summer. The thick green foliage of the majestic 

 trees was varied and enriched by a wonderful wealth of fruit, 

 while strange, large flowers of peculiar beauty were everywhere 

 like jewels in the verdure. The forests were full of birds. The 

 gentle cooing doves had their nests just over the rushing, roar- 

 ing torrents. The Ibis, just like those which held old Egyp- 

 tian breasts in sacred awe, and found their honored graves in 

 stately tombs, was sitting in its wonted isolation on the bare 

 points of some withered, broken, branchless trunk. The 

 singular little " hammering iron " might be seen sitting on the 

 back of the hideous crocodile, or perched inside his cavernous 

 jaws, quietly picking the monster's teeth. The tiny, roguish 

 parrot was flashing about in the sunrays like a living emerald 

 Math wings of gold, shocking the ear with a voice that seemed 

 to be deliberate mockery of the eye's delight. The various 

 species of fishing birds and nameless songsters of rare hues 

 were always present, while every now and then a monster 

 alligator came splashing from his sunny perch into the stream, 

 or some unfortunate guana on a projecting bough fell a victim 

 to the ready spear of a native, and dropping into the gliding 

 boat was seized as choice provisiou for an evening meal. This 

 animal is of the lizard tribe, and grows sometimes to the length 

 of four or five feet. Its strong coat resists blows, and even the 

 force of fire-arms, but it fills helpless if a straw is put in its 

 nostril. 



Vast herds of hippopotami were passed, and it was amusing 

 to see the youthful members of the families perched on the 

 broad shoulders of their dams, while the tremendous puffing 

 and snorting rumbled around like miniature thunder. Mr. 

 Cumming once came on the lair of four of these singular crea- 

 tures, a hazy morning on the banks of the Limpopo. The 

 noise of his horse breaking through the wall of reeds alarmed 

 them, and all four rushed into the shallow stream, and went 



