Chap. XXI. STOPPED BY KOCKY NAEEOWS. 441 



us for some days, and the further we went inland, the more 

 civil the people became. 



When we came to a stand, just below the island of Nyama- 

 tolo, Long. 38° 36' E., and Lat. 11° 53', the river was narrow, 

 and full of rocks. Near the island there is a rocky rapid with 

 narrow passages fit only for native canoes ; the fall is small, 

 and the banks quite low ; but these rocks were an effectual 

 barrier to all further progress in boats. Previous reports 

 represented the navigable part of this river as extending to 

 the distance of a month's sail from its mouth; we found 

 that, at the ordinary heights of the water, a boat might reach 

 the obstructions which seem peculiar to all African rivers in 

 six or eight days. The Kovuma is remarkable for the high 

 lands that flank it for some eighty miles from the ocean. 

 The cataracts of other rivers occur in mountains, those of 

 the Eovuma are found in a level part, with hills only in the 

 distance. Far away in the west and north we could see high 

 blue heights, probably of igneous origin from their forms, 

 rising out of a plain. 



The distance from Ngomano, a spot thirty miles further 

 up, to the Arab crossing-places of Lake Nyassa Tsenga or 

 Kotakota was said to be twelve days. The way we had dis- 

 covered to Lake Nyassa by Murchison's Cataracts had so 

 much less land carriage, that we considered it best to take our 

 steamer thither, by the route in which we were well known, 

 instead of working where we were strangers; and accordingly 

 we made up our minds to return. 



The natives reported a worse place above our turning-point 

 — the passage being still narrower than this. An Arab, they 

 said, once built a boat above the rapids, and sent it down 

 full of slaves-; but it was broken to pieces in these upper 

 narrows. Many still maintained that the Eovuma came 

 from Nyassa, and that it is very narrow as it issues out of 



