Chap. XXV. PATH TO THE EAST COAST. 333 



where missionaries of the Church Missionary, United Presby- 

 terian, and other societies, have long laboured with most 

 astonishing devotedness and never-flagging zeal. Not that 

 any of the numerous tribes here are anxious for instruction ; 

 but that there is no impediment in the way of instruction. 

 Every head-man would be proud of a European visitor or 

 resident in his territory, and there is perfect security for life 

 and property all over the interior country. The great barriers 

 which have kept Africa closed are — firstly, the unhealthiness of 

 the coast; secondly, the exclusive, illiberal disposition of the 

 border tribes ; and thirdly, the absence of inlets and estuaries 

 along the line of coast, whereby only a small fringe of its 

 population has come into contact with the rest of mankind. 



Having found it impracticable to open up a carriage-way 

 to the west, it became a question as to which part of the east 

 coast we should direct our steps. Some Arabs, who had come 

 from Zanzibar through a peaceful country, assured me that the 

 powerful chiefs beyond the Cazembe on the N.E. would have 

 no objection to my passing through their country. They 

 described the population as located in small villages like the 

 Balonda, and that no difficulty is experienced in travelling 

 amongst them. This route then appeared to me to be the 

 safest; but as my object was to obtain water rather than 

 land carriage, it did not promise so much as that by the 

 Zambesi. The Makololo knew all the country eastwards as 

 far as the Kafue, from having lived in former times near the 

 confluence of that river with the Zambesi, and they all advised 

 this path in preference to that by the way of Zanzibar. The 

 only difficulty that they described arose from the falls of 

 Victoria. Some recommended me to cross over from Sesheke in 

 a N.E. direction to the Kafue, six days distant, and then descend 

 that river to the Zambesi : others to follow the south bank 

 of the Zambesi until I had passed the falls, and than proceed 

 down the river in canoes. All spoke strongly of the difficul- 

 ties of travelling on the north bank, on account of the exces- 

 sively broken and rocky nature of the country near the river 

 on that side. After much deliberation I decided on going 

 down the Zambesi, and keeping on the north bank, under the 

 impression that Tete, the farthest inland station of the Portu- 

 guese, lay on that side. Being near the end of September, 



