174 LIVINGSTONE'S LAST JOURNALS. [Chap. TIL 



111 one place we lighted on a party of people living on 

 Masuko fruit, and making mats of the Shuare* palm petioles. 

 We have hard lines ourselves ; nothing but a little maere 

 porridge and dampers. We roast a little grain, and boil 

 it, to make believe it is coffee. The guide, a maundering 

 fellow, turned because he was not fed better than at home, 

 and because he knew that but for his obstinacy we should 

 not have lost the dog. It is needless to repeat that it is all 

 forest on the northern slopes of the mountains — open glade 

 and miles of forest ; ground at present all sloppy ; oozes 

 full and overflowing — feet constantly wet. Eivulets rush 

 strongly with clear water, though they are in flood : we 

 can guess which are perennial and which mere torrents 

 that dry up ; they flow northwards and westwards to the 

 Chambeze. 



17th January. — Detained in an old Babisa slaving en- 

 campment by set-in rain till noon, then set off in the midst 

 of it. Came to hills of dolomite, but all the rocks were 

 covered with white lichens (ash-coloured). The path took 

 us thence along a ridge, which separates the Lotiri, run- 

 ning westwards, and the Lobo, going northwards, and we 

 came at length to the Lobo, travelling along its banks till 

 we reached the village called Lisunga, which was about 

 five yards broad, and very deep, in flood, with clear water, 

 as indeed are all the rivulets now ; they can only be crossed 

 by felling a tree on the bank and letting it fall across. 

 They do not abrade their banks — vegetation protects them. 

 I observed that the brown ibis, a noisy bird, took care to 

 restrain his loud, harsh voice when driven from the tree in 

 which his nest was placed, and when about a quarter of a 

 mile off, then commenced his loud "Ha-ha-ha!" 



18th January. — The headman of Lisunga, Chaokila, took 

 our present, and gave nothing in return. A deputy from 

 Chitapangwa came afterwards and demanded a larger 



* Raphia. 



