THE SHIEE VALLEY. 367 



Looking from Morambala across the tongue of land which 

 lies between the Shire and the Zambesi, there were seen a few 

 clumps of palm and acacia trees, and herds of game which might 

 have tempted Nimrod to pitch his tent there in contentment. 

 Near the northern base there was bubbling up a little boiling 

 fountain ready for eggs or meats, and capable of doing its work 

 thoroughly enough, to the sorrow of such unlucky creatures as 

 chanced to select it for their bath. 



Beyond Morambala the Shire comes winding through an 

 extensive marsh. For many miles to the north a broad sea of 

 fresh green grass extends, and is so level that it might be used 

 for taking the meridian altitude of the sun. Ten or fifteen miles 

 north of Morambala stands the dome-shaped mountain Makanga, 

 or Chi-kanda ; several others with granitic-looking peaks stretch 

 away to the north, and form the eastern boundary of the valley; 

 another range, but of metamorphic rocks, commencing opposite 

 Senna, bounds the valley on the west. After steaming through 

 a portion of this marsh, they came to a broad belt of palm and 

 other trees, crossing the fine plain on the right bank. Marks 

 of large game were abundant. Elephants had been feeding on 

 the palm nuts, which have a pleasant, fruity taste, and are used 

 as food by man. Two pythons were observed coiled together 

 among the branches of a large tree, and were both shot. The 

 larger of the two, a female, was ten feet long. They are harm- 

 less, and said to be good eating. The Makololo having set fire 

 to the grass where they were cutting wood, a solitary buffalo 

 rushed out of the conflagration, and made a furious charge at 

 an active young fellow named Mantlanyane. Never did his 

 fleet limbs serve him better than during the few seconds of his 

 fearful flight before the maddened animal. "When he reached 

 the bank, and sprang into the river, the infuriated beast was 

 scarcely six feet behind him. Towards evening, after the day's 

 labor in wood-cutting was over, some of the men went fishing. 

 They followed the common African custom of agitating the 

 water, bv giving it a few sharp strokes with the top of the 

 fishing-rod, immediately after throwing in the line, to attract 

 the attention of the fish to the bait. Having caught nothing, 

 the reason assigned was the same as the reader would be likely 

 to give under like circumstances, namely, that "the wind made 



