296 LIVINGSTONE'S LAST JOURNALS. [Chap. XL 



One species of fish lias the lower jaw turned down into a 

 hook, which enables the animal to hold its mouth close to 

 the plant as it glides up or down, sucking in all the soft 

 pulpy food. The superabundance of gelatinous nutriment 

 makes these swarmers increase in bulk with extraordinary 

 rapidity, and the food supply of the people is plenteous in 

 consequence. The number of fish caught by weirs, baskets, 

 and nets now, as the waters decline, is prodigious. The fish 

 feel their element becoming insufficient for comfort, and 

 retire from one bouga to another towards the Lake; the 

 narrower parts are duly prepared by weirs to take advantage 

 of their necessities; the sun heat seems to oppress them 

 and force them to flee. With the south-east aerial current 

 comes heat and sultriness. A blanket is scarcely needed 

 till the early hours of the morning, and here, after the 

 turtle doves and cocks give out their warning calls to the 

 Avatchful, the fish-eagle lifts up his remarkable voice. It is- 

 pitched in a high falsetto key, very loud, and seems as if he 

 were calling to some one in the other world. Once heard, 

 his weird unearthly voice can never be forgotten — it sticks 

 to one through life. 



We were four hours in being ferried over the Loitikila, 

 or Lolotikila, in four small canoes, and then two hours 

 south-west down its left bank to another river, where our 

 camp has been formed. I sent over a present to the head- 

 man, and a man returned with the information that he was 

 ill at another village, but his wife would send canoes to- 

 morrow to transport us over and set us on our way to 

 Muanazambamba, south-west, and over Lolotikila again. 



lAtJi April. — At a branch of the Lolotikila. 



15th April.— Cross Lolotikila again (where it is only fifty 

 yards) by canoes, and went south-west an hour. I, being 

 very weak, had to be carried part of the way. Am glad of 

 resting; alfia flow copiously last night. A woman, the 

 wife of the chief, gave a present of a goat and maize. 



