Chap. X. " SMOKES "— BAZIZULU. 213 



monkeys, on the edge of the forest, scamper back to its depths 

 on hearing the loud song of Singeleka, and old surly fellows, 

 catching sight of the human party, insult it with a loud and 

 angry bark. Early in the afternoon we may see buffaloes 

 again, or other animals. We camp on the dry higher 

 ground, after, as has happened, driving off a solitary 

 elephant. The nights are warmer now, and possess nearly 

 as much of interest and novelty as the days. A new world 

 awakes and comes forth, more numerous, if we may judge 

 by the noise it makes, than that which is abroad by sun- 

 light. Lions and hyenas roar around us, and sometimes come 

 disagreeably near, though they have never ventured into our 

 midst. Strange birds sing their agreeable songs, while others 

 scream and call harshly as if in fear or anger. Marvellous 

 insect-sounds fall upon the ear; one, said by natives to 

 proceed from a large beetle, resembles a succession of 

 measured musical blows upon an anvil, while many others 

 are perfectly indescribable. A little lemur was once seen to 

 leap about from branch to branch with the agility of a frog ; 

 it chirruped like a bird, and is not larger than a robin- 

 red-breast. Eeptiles, though numerous, seldom troubled 

 us ; only two men suffered from stings, and that very 

 slightly, during the entire journey, the one supposed 

 that he was bitten by a snake, and the other w r as stung by 

 a scorpion. 



Grass-burning has begun, and is producing the blue hazy 

 atmosphere of the American Indian summer, which in 

 Western Africa is called the " smokes." Miles of fire burn 

 on the mountain-sides in the evenings, but go out during the 

 night. From their height they resemble a broad zigzag line 

 of fire in the heavens. 



We slept on the night of the 6th July on the left bank of 



