340 LIVINGSTONE'S LAST JOURNALS. [Chap. XIII. 



two Lakes, situated east and west of each other. These 

 streams flowed about west of his river Rhapta, or Eaptus, 

 which is probably our Eovurna or Lourna. This was very 

 near the truth, but the Mountains of the Moon cannot be 

 identified with the Lokinga, or mountains of Bisa, from 

 which many of the springs do actually arise. Unless, 

 indeed, we are nearer to the great alterations in climate 

 which have taken place, as we are supposed to be nearer 

 the epoch of the mammoth, aurochs, and others. Snow 

 never lay in these latitudes, on altitudes of 6000 feet above 

 the sea. 



Some of the ancients supposed the river to have its 

 source in the ocean. This was like the answer we received 

 long ago from the natives on the Liambai or Upper Zambesi 

 when inquiring for its source. " It rises in Leoatle, the 

 Avhite man's sea, or Metsehula." The second name means 

 the "grazing water," from the idea of the tides coming in to 

 graze ; as to the freshness of the Liambai waters, they could 

 offer no explanation. 



Some again thought that the Nile rose in Western Africa, 

 and after flowing eastwards across the Continent, turned 

 northwards to Egypt ; others still thought that it rose in 

 India ! and others again, from vague reports collected from 

 their slaves, made it and several other rivers rise out of a 

 great inland sea. Aclielunda was said to be the name of 

 this Lake, and in the language of Angola, it meant the 

 " sea." It means only " of" or " belonging to Lunda" a 

 country. It might have been a sea that was spoken of 

 on a whole, or anything. " Nyassi, or the sea," was another 

 name and another blunder. " Nyassi " means long grass, 

 and nothing else. Nyanza contracted into Nyassa, means 

 lake, marsh, any piece of water, or even the dry bed of a 

 lake. The N and y are joined in the mouth, and never 

 pronounced separately. The " Naianza " ! — it would be 

 nearer the mark to say the Nancy ! 



