Chap. I. SCENEEY ON THE KONGONE. 19 



takeable indications that they had no very favourable 

 opinion of white men. They were probably fugitives from 

 Portuguese slavery. In the grassy glades buffaloes, wart- 

 hogs, and three kinds of antelope were abundant, and the 

 latter easily obtained. A few hours' hunting usually pro- 

 vided venison enough for a score of men for several days. 



On proceeding up the Kongone branch it was found that, 

 by keeping well in the bends, which the current had worn 

 deep, shoals were easily avoided. The first twenty miles are 

 straight and deep ; then a small and rather tortuous natural 

 canal leads off to the right, and, after about five miles, during 

 which the paddles almost touch the floating grass of the 

 sides, ends in the broad Zambesi. The rest of the Kongone 

 branch comes out of the main stream considerably higher 

 up as the outgoing branch called Doto. 



The first twenty miles of the Kongone are enclosed in 

 mangrove jungle; some of the trees are ornamented with 

 orchilla weed, which appears never to have been gathered. 

 Huge ferns, palm bushes, and occasionally wild date- 

 palms peer out in the forest, which consists of different 

 species of mangroves ; the bunches of bright yellow, though 

 scarcely edible fruit, contrasting prettily with the graceful 

 green leaves. In some spots the Milola, an umbrageous 

 hibiscus, with large yellowish flowers, grows in masses along 

 the bank. Its bark is made into cordage, and is especially 

 valuable for the manufacture of ropes attached to harpoons 

 for killing the hippopotamus. The Pandanus or screw- 

 palm, from which sugar-bags are made in the Mauritius, 

 also appears, and on coming out of the canal into the 

 Zambesi many are so tall as in the distance to remind us of 

 the steeples of our native land, and make us relish the 

 remark of an old sailor, " that but one thing was wanting to 



c 2 



