432 MOON-BLINDNESS. Chap. XXI. 



that it rarely ventures out into the stream, but remains near 

 its hole, where it is readily caught by the hand. 



The Zambesi men thoroughly understood the characteristic 

 marks of deep or shallow water, and showed great skill in 

 finding out the proper channel. The Molimo is the steersman 

 at the helm, the Mokadamo is the head canoe-man, and he 

 stands erect on the bows with a long pole in his hands, and 

 directs the steersman where to go, aiding the rudder, it' 

 necessary, with his pole. The others preferred to stand and 

 punt our boat, rather than row with our long oars, being able 

 to shove her ahead faster than they could pull her. They are 

 accustomed to short paddles. Our Mokadamo was affected 

 with moon-blindness, and could not see at all at night. His 

 comrades then led him about, and handed him his food. 

 They thought that it was only because his eyes rested all 

 night, that he could see the channel so well by day. At 

 difficult places the Mokadamo sometimes, however, made 

 mistakes, and ran us aground ; and the others, evidently 

 imbued with the spirit of resistance to constituted autho- 

 rity, and led by Joao an aspirant for the office, jeered him 

 for his stupidity. " Was he asleep ? Why did he allow 

 the boat to come there ? Could he not see the channel 

 was somewhere else ? " At last the Mokadamo threw down 

 the pole in disgust, and told Joao he might be a Mokadamo 

 himself. The office was accepted with alacrity ; but in a 

 few minutes he too ran us into a worse difficulty than his 

 predecessor ever did, and was at once disrated amidst the 

 derision of his comrades. 



In travelling it is best to enjoy the little simple incidents 

 of this kind, which, at most, exemplify the tendencies woven 

 into the being of the whole human family. It is a pity to 

 hear that some of our countrymen rudely interfere in what 

 really does no harm. Blows even have been inflicted under 



