456 SITES OF OLD VILLAGES. 



we crossed before coming to it is named Libesa : these brooks 

 form the favorite spawning-grounds of the sanjika and mpasa, 

 two of the best fishes of the lake. The sanjika is very like 

 our herring in shape and taste and size ; the mpasa larger every- 

 way : both live on green herbage formed at the bottom of the 

 lake and rivers. 



"September 7. — Chirumba's village being on the south side 

 of a long lagoon, we preferred sleeping on the mainland, though 

 they offered their cranky canoes to ferry us over. This lagoon 

 is called Pansangwa. 



"September 8. — In coming along the southern side of Ngombo 

 promontory we look eastwards, but when we leave it we turn 

 southwards, having a double range of lofty mountains on our 

 left. These are granitic in form, the nearer range being gener- 

 ally the lowest, and covered with scraggy trees ; the second, or 

 more easterly, is some six thousand feet above the sea, bare and 

 rugged, with jagged peaks shooting high into the air. This is 

 probably the newest range. The oldest people have felt no 

 earthquake, but some say that they have heard of such things 

 from their elders. 



"AVe passed very many sites of old villages, which are easily 

 known by the tree euphorbia planted round an umbelliferous 

 one, and the sacred fig. One species here throws out strong 

 buttresses in the manner of some mangroves instead of sending 

 down twiners which take root, as is usually the case with the 

 tropical fig. These, with millstones — stones for holding the 

 pots in cooking — and upraised clay benches, which have been 

 turned into brick by fire in the destruction of the huts, show 

 what were once the ' pleasant haunts of men.' 



"September 10. — In marching southwards we came close to 

 the range (the lake lies immediately on the other side of it), 

 but we could not note the bays which it forms ; we crossed two 

 mountain torrents from sixty to eighty yards broad, and now 

 only ankle-deep. In flood these bring down enormous trees, 

 which are much battered and bruised among the rocks in their 

 course ; they spread over the plain, too, and would render travel- 

 ling here in the rains impracticable. After spending the night 

 at a very civil head man's chefu, we crossed the Lotende, an- 

 other of these torrents : each very lofty mass in the range 



