Chap. XXI. THE LAKELET CHIDIA. 429 



shunning the obstruction, shoot on ahead to be brought up 

 each in its turn by mistaking a sandbank for the channel, 

 which had often but a very little depth of water. 



A drowsy herd of hippopotami were suddenly startled by a 

 score of rifle-shots, and stared in amazement at the strange 

 objects which had invaded their peaceful domains, until a few 

 more bullets compelled them to seek refuge at the bottom of 

 the deep pool, near which they had been quietly reposing. 

 On our return, one of the herd retaliated. He followed the 

 boat, came up under it, and twice tried to tear the bottom 

 out of it ; but fortunately it was too flat for his jaws to get 

 a good gripe, so he merely damaged one of the planks with 

 his tusks, though he lifted the boat right up, with ten men 

 and a ton of ebony in it. 



We slept, one of the two nights Captain Gardner was with 

 us, opposite the lakelet Chidia, which is connected with the 

 river in flood time, and is nearly surrounded by hills some 

 500 or 600 feet high, dotted over with trees. A few small 

 groups of huts stood on the hill-sides, with gardens off which 

 the usual native produce had been reaped. The people did 

 not seem much alarmed by the presence of the large party 

 which had drawn up on the sandbanks below their dwellings. 

 There is abundance of large ebony in the neighbourhood. 

 The pretty little antelope (Cephaloplius cceruleus), t about the 

 size of a hare, seemed to abound, as many of their skins were 

 offered for sale. Neat figured date-leaf mats of various 

 colours are woven here, the different dyes being obtained 

 from the barks of trees. Cattle could not live on the banks 

 of the Eovuma on account of the tsetse, which are found 

 from near the mouth, up as far as we could take the boats. 

 The navigation did not improve as we ascended ; snags, 

 brought down by the floods, were common, and left in the 

 channel on the sudden subsidence of the water. In many 



