46 REVISIT KEBRABASA. CHAP. II. 



A third visit to Kebrabasa was made for the purpose 

 of ascertaining whether it might be navigable when the 

 Zambesi was in flood, the chief point of interest being of 

 course Morunibwa; it was found that the rapids observed 

 in our first trip had disappeared, and that while they were 

 smoothed over, in a few places the current had increased 

 in strength. As the river fell rapidly while we were on 

 the journey, the cataract of Morumbwa did not differ 

 materially from what it was when discovered. Some 

 fishermen assured us that it was not visible when the 

 river was at its fullest, and that the current was then not 

 very strong. On this occasion we travelled on the righ fc 

 bank, and found it, with the additional inconvenience of 

 rain, as rough and fatiguing as the left had been. Our 

 progress was impeded by the tall wet grass and dripping 

 boughs, and consequent fever. During the earlier part of 

 the journey we came upon a few deserted hamlets only ; 

 but at last in a pleasant valley we met some of the people 

 of the country, who were miserably poor and hungry. 

 The women were gathering wild fruits in the woods. A 

 young man having consented for two yards of cotton cloth 

 to show us a short path to the cataract led us up a steep 

 hill to a village perched on the edge of one of its preci- 

 pices ; a thunderstorm coming on at the time, the head- 

 man invited us to take shelter in a hut until it had passed. 

 Our guide having informed him of what he knew and 

 conceived to be our object, was favoured in return with a 

 long reply in well-sounding blank verse ; at the end of 

 every line the guide, who listened with deep attention, 

 responded with a grunt, which soon became so ludicrous 

 that our men burst into a loud laugh. Neither the poet 

 nor the responsive guide took the slightest notice of their 

 rudeness, but kept on as energetically as ever to the end. 

 The speech, or more probably our bad manners, made 

 some impression on our guide, for he declined, although 

 offered double pay, to go any further. 



