182 ALLIGATORS. Chap. XT. 



ally, if they see a man in the water at some short distance, 

 they will rush through the stream with wonderful agility. 

 They seldom leave the water for food, but often for the 

 pleasure of basking in the sun. In walking along the bank 

 of the Zouga, a small one, about three feet long, made a dash 

 at my feet ; but I never heard of a similar case. They will 

 almost certainly seize a wounded leche, when chased into any 

 of the lagoons in the Barotse valley, or a man or dog going in 

 after one. When employed in looking for food they keep out 

 of sight, and fish chiefly by night. In eating they make a 

 loud champing noise, which, once heard, is never forgotten. 



The young which had come out of the nests where we 

 spent the night were about ten inches long, with yellow eyes, 

 and all marked with transverse stripes of pale green and 

 brown. When speared, they bit the weapon savagely, 

 uttering at the same time a sharp bark, like that of a young 

 whelp. I could not ascertain whether the ichneumon has the 

 reputation of devouring the alligator's eggs here as in Egypt. 

 Probably the Barotse and Bayeiye would not look upon it as 

 a benefactor if it were to do so, for they prefer eating the eggs 

 themselves. The yolk of the egg alone coagulates, and is the 

 only part eaten. 



When we reached the part of the river opposite to the 

 village of Manenko, the first female chief whom we encoun- 

 tered, two of the people called Balunda, or Balonda, came 

 to us in their little canoe. From them we learned that 

 Kolimbota, one of our party, was credited with having acted 

 as guide to the marauders under Lerimo, whose captives 

 we were now returning. This they suspected from the 

 facility with which their villages had been found ; they had 

 since removed them to some distance from the river, and were 

 unwilling to reveal their places of concealment. We were in 

 bad repute, but, having a captive boy and girl as evidence 

 that Sekeletu and ourselves were not partakers in the outrage, 

 I could freely express my desire that all should live in peace. 

 They evidently felt that I ought to have first taught the 

 Makolulo this lesson, for they remarked that what I advanced 

 was very good, but that guilt lay at the door of the Makololo 

 for having disturbed the peace. They then went away to 

 report us to Manenko. 



