312 TWO BUFFALOES SHOT. Chap. XV. 



Near the sites of ruined Batoka villages are always seen the 

 Mochenje Milo, Bonia, Mosibe, Motsintsela, and several other 

 kinds of native fruits ; Dr. Kirk found the Mamosho-mosho, 

 and Milo to be Cinchonaceous trees. The Mosibe he con- 

 sidered identical with capaifera liymencefolia of Cuba, a tree 

 of which but little is yet known. As this tree is absent from 

 the eastern and western slopes of the continent of Africa, and 

 not met with on the East Coast, our finding it in this remote 

 part, with other trees showing a relationship to India, is very 

 interesting, as indicating that much is unknown in the migra- 

 tions of plants. The Bom a is a Vitex nearly allied to a Mada- 

 gascar tree. It yields a very valuable oil-nut, and grows 

 abundantly at Lake Nyassa, as well as in these quarters. 

 The Mamosho-mosho is the best fruit in the country, but we, 

 being glad of any fruit, are unable to say whether Europeans 

 in general would esteem it as highly as the natives do. 

 The edible part of uncultivated fruits is usually very small. 

 One of our men speared a conger eel, four feet seven inches 

 in length, and ten-and-a-half inches round the neck; it is 

 here called Mokonga. 



Two old and very savage buffaloes were shot for our 

 companions on the 3rd October. Our Volunteers may feel 

 an interest in knowing that balls sometimes have but little 

 effect: one buffalo fell, on receiving a Jacob's shell; it was 

 hit again twice, and lost a large amount of blood ; and yet 

 it sprang up, and charged a native, who, by great agility, 

 had just time to climb a tree, before the maddened beast 

 struck it, battering-ram fashion, hard enough almost to have 

 split both head and tree. It paused a few seconds — drew 

 back several paces — glared up at the man — and then dashed 

 at the tree again and again, as if determined to shake him 

 out of it. It took two more Jacob's shells, and five other 

 large solid rifle-balls to finish the beast at last. These old 



