290 LIVINGSTONE'S LAST JOURNALS. [Chap. XL 



current of two knots, and three fathoms deep, like the 

 Lubanseuse; but that was slow in current, but clear also. 

 There is one great lock after another, with thick mats of 

 hedges, formed of aquatic plants between. The volume 

 of water is enormous. We punted five hours, and then 

 camped. 



21th March. — T sent canoes and men back to Matipa's 

 to bring all the men that remained, telling them to ship 

 them at once on arriving, and not to make any talk about 

 it. Kabinga keeps his distance from us, and food is scarce ; 

 at noon he sent a man to salute me in his name. 



28th March. — Making a pad for a donkey, to serve 

 instead of a saddle. Kabinga attempts to sell a sheep at 

 an exorbitant price, and says that he is weeping over 

 his dead child. Mabruki Speke's hut caught fire at night, 

 and his cartridge box was burned. 



29th March. — I bought a sheep for 100 strings of beads. 

 I wished to begin the exchange by being generous, and told 

 his messenger so; then a small quantity of maize was- 

 brought, and I grumbled at the meanness of the present : 

 there is no use in being bashful, as they are not ashamed 

 to grumble too. The* man said that Kabinga would send 

 more when he had collected it. 



30th March, Sunday. — A lion roars mightily. The fish- 

 hawk utters his weird voice in the morning, as if he 

 lifted up to a friend at a great distance, in a sort of 

 falsetto key. 



5 p.m. Men returned, but the large canoe having been 

 broken by the donkey, we have to go back and pay for it, 

 and take away about twenty men now left. Matipa kept 

 all the payment from his own people, and so left us in the 

 lurch ; thus another five days is lost. 



31st March. — I sent the men back to Matipa's for all our 

 party. I give two dotis to repair the canoe. Islanders are 

 always troublesome, from a sense of security in their fast- 



