Livingstone's keview. 451 



The trees were rather small and became scantier as they descended 

 toward the lake, but the ferns, rhododendrons and a foliage tree 

 greatly resembling silver fir were frequently seen. 



Every day they came near slave parties, but the Arabs always 

 avoided the Englishman. The country though was becoming 

 more familiar-looking as they came nearer the Nyassa, and Liv- 

 ingstone welcomed the appearance of the familiar grasses and 

 the singing birds which now began to add their charms to their 

 camping grounds. 



Under date of the 8th of August, a little more than four 

 months from the time of his entering the ^puntry, in his jour- 

 nal we read : " We came to the lake at the confluence of 

 the Misinje, and felt grateful to that Hand which had pro- 

 tected us thus far on our journey. It was as if I had come back 

 to an old home I never expected again to see." Glancing 

 over the district across which we have followed the traveller 

 back to the lake on whose waters we remember that he launched 

 his little boats some years ago, it will certainly be profitable for 

 us to have his own language about its geological features ; con- 

 cerning these he says : " The plateaux on each side of the Ro- 

 vuma are masses of gray sandstone, capped with masses of ferru- 

 ginous conglomerate ; apparently an aqueous deposit. When we 

 ascend the Rovuma about sixty miles, a great many pieces and 

 blocks of silicified wood appear on the surface of the soil at the 

 bottom of the slope up the plateaux. This in Africa is a sure 

 indication of the presence of coal beneath, but it was not observed 

 cropping out ; the plateaux are cut up in various directions by 

 wadys well supplied with grass and trees on deep and somewhat 

 sandy soil ; but at the confluence of the Loendi highlands they 

 appear in the far distance. In the sands of the Loendi pieces 

 of coal are quite common. 



" Before reaching the confluence of the Rovuma and Loendi, 

 Or say about ninety miles from the sea, the plateau is succeeded 

 by a more level country, having detached granitic masses shoot- 

 ing up some five or seven hundred feet. The sandstone of the 

 plateau has at first been hardened, then quite metamorphosed 

 into a chocolate-colored schist. As at Chilole hill, we have 

 igneous rocks, apparently trap, capped with masses of beautiful 

 white dolomite. We still ascend in altitude as we go westwards, 



