266 LIVINGSTONE'S LAST JOURNALS. [Chap. X. 



all run away, as they have around Chungu's, in the belief 

 that we should return to punish their silly headman. By 

 waiting patiently yesterday, we drew about twenty canoes 

 towards us this morning, but all too small for the donkey, 

 so we had to turn away back north-west to the bridge above 

 Chungu's. If we had tried to swim the donkey across along- 

 side a canoe it would have been terribly strained, as the 

 Lopopussi is here quite two miles wide and full of rushes, 

 except in the main stream. It is all deep, and the country 

 being very level as the rivulets come near to the Lake, they 

 become very broad. Crossed two sponges with rivulets in 

 their centre. 



Much cultivation in the forest. In the second year the 

 mileza and maize are sickly and yellow white ; in the first 

 year, with fresh wood ashes, they are dark green and strong. 

 Very much of the forest falls for manure. The people seem 

 very eager cultivators. Possibly mounds have the potash 

 brought up in forming. 



18ih January. — We lost a week by going to Chungu (a 

 worthless terrified headman), and came back to the ford of 

 Lopopussi, which we crossed, only from believing him to be 

 an influential man who would explain the country to us. 

 We came up the Lopopussi three hours yesterday, after 

 spending two hours in going down to examine the canoes. 

 We hear that Sayde bin Ali is returning from Katanga with 

 much ivory. 



ISth January. — After prayers we went on to a fine village, 

 and on from it to the Mononse, which, though only ten feet 

 of deep stream flowing S., had some 400 yards of most 

 fatiguing, plunging, deep sponge, which lay in a mass of 

 dark-coloured rushes, that looked as if burnt off: many 

 leeches plagued us. We were now two hours out. We went 

 on two miles to another sponge and village, but went round 

 its head dryshod, then two hours more to sponge Lovu. 

 Hat forest as usual. 



