FORDING RIVERS. 750 



three-quarters hour's journey to a large stream through drizzling 

 rain, at least three hundred yards of deep water, amongst sedges 

 and sponges of one hundred yards. One part was neck-deep 

 for fifty yards, and the water cold. We plunged in elephants' 

 foot-prints one hour and a half, then came on one hour to a 

 small rivulet ten feet broad, but waist-deep, bridge covered and 

 broken down. Carrying me across one of the broad, deep sedgy 

 rivers is really a very difficult task. One we crossed was at 

 least two thousand feet broad, or more than three hundred yards. 

 The first part, the main stream, came up to Susi's mouth, and 

 wetted my seat and legs. One held up my pistol behind, then 

 one after another took a turn, and when he sank into a deep 

 elephant's foot-print, he required two to lift him, so as to gain a 

 footing on the level, which was over waist-deep. Others went 

 on, and bent down the grass, to insure some footing on the 

 side of the elephants' path. Every ten or twelve paces brought 

 us to a clear stream, flowing fast in its own channel, while over 

 all a strong current came bodily through all the rushes and 

 aquatic plants. Susi had the first spell, then Farijala, then a 

 tall, stout, Arab-looking man, then Amoda, then Chanda, then 

 "Wade Sale, and each time I was lifted off bodily, and put on 

 another pair of stout, willing shoulders, and fifty yards put them 

 out of breath : no wonder ! It was sore on the women folk of 

 our party. It took us full an hour and a half for all to cross 

 over, and several came over turn to help me and their friends. 

 The water was cold, and so was the wind, but no leeches plagued 

 us. We had to hasten on the building of sheds after crossing 

 the second rivulet, as rain threatened us. After 4 p. m. it came 

 on a pouring cold rain, when we were all under cover. We are 

 anxious about food. The lake is near, but we are not sure of 

 provisions, as there have been changes of population. Our 

 progress is distressingly slow. Wet, wet, wet ; sloppy weather, 

 truly, and no observations, except that the land near the lake 

 being very level the rivers spread out into broad friths and 

 sponges." 



The streams were so numerous that even Dr. Livingstone 

 himself was perplexed. The people had been unable to find 

 names for them, and the catalogue which we could glean from 

 the doctor's journal would take the premium as a punitive exer- 



