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



mighty river, he instinctively bends his eyes on a dark 

 burden laid in the canoe ! How ardently would he have 

 scanned it whose body thus passes across these waters, and 

 whose spirit, in its last hours' sojourn in this world, wandered 

 in thought and imagination to its stream ! 



It would seem that the Luapula at this point is double 

 the width of the Zambesi at Shupanga. This gives a 

 breadth of fully four miles. A man could not be seen 

 on the opposite bank: trees looked small: a gun could 

 be heard, but no shouting would ever reach a person across 

 the river — such is the description given by men who were 

 well able to compare the Luapula with the Zambesi. Taking 

 to the canoes, they were able to use the " m'phondo," or punt- 

 ing pole, for a distance through reeds, then came clear deep 

 water for some four hundred yards, again a broad reedy 

 expanse, followed by another deep part, succeeded in turn 

 by another current not so broad as those previously paddled 

 across, and then, as on the starting side, gradually shoal- 

 ing water, abounding in reeds. Two islands lay just above 

 the crossing-place. Using pole and paddle alternately, the 

 passage took them fully two hours across this enormous 

 torrent, which carries off the waters of Bangweolo towards 

 the north. 



A sad mishap befell the donkey the first night of camp- 

 ing beyond the Luapula, and this faithful and sorely-tried 

 servant was doomed to end his career at this spot ! 



According to custom, a special stable was built for 

 him close to the men. In the middle of the night a 

 great disturbance, coupled with the shouting of Amocla, 

 aroused the camp. The men rushed out and found the 

 stable broken down and the donkey gone. Snatching some 

 logs, they set fire to the grass, as it was pitch dark, and by 

 the light saw a lion close to the body of the poor animal, 

 which was quite dead. Those who had caught up their 

 guns on the first alarm fired a volley, and the lion made off. 



