CHAP. II. CORROSION OF THE STEAMER'S PLATES. 57 



were unfortunate enough to lose a considerable portion of 

 them, and had now to bear the privation as best we could. 

 On the way down, we purchased a few gigantic cabbages 

 and pumpkins at a native village below Mazaro. Our 

 dinners had usually consisted of but a single course ; but 

 we were surprised the next day by our black cook from 

 Sierra Leone bearing in a second course. "What have 

 you got there ? " was asked in wonder. " A tart, sir." 

 " A tart ! of what is it made? " " Of cabbage, sir." As 

 we had no sugar, and could not " make believe," as in the 

 days of boyhood, we did not enjoy the feast that Tom's 

 genius had prepared. Her Majesty's brig "Persian," 

 Lieutenant Saumarez commanding, called on her way to 

 the Cape; and, though somewhat short of provisions 

 herself, generously gave us all she could spare. We now 

 parted with our Kroomen, as, from their inability to 

 march, we could not use them in our land journeys. A 

 crew was picked out from the Makololo, who, besides 

 being good travellers, could cut wood, work the ship, and 

 required only native food. 



While at the Kongone it was found necessary to beach 

 the steamer for repairs. She was built of a newly 

 invented sort of steel plates, only a sixteenth of an inch in 

 thickness, patented, but unfortunately never tried beforel 

 To build an exploring ship of untried material was a 

 mistake. Some chemical action on this preparation of 

 steel caused a minute hole ; from this point, branches like 

 lichens, or the little ragged stars we sometimes see in 

 thawing ice, radiated in all directions. Small holes went 

 through wherever a bend occurred in these branches. The 

 bottom very soon became like a sieve, completely full of 

 minute holes, which leaked perpetually. The engineer 

 stopped the larger ones, but the vessel was no sooner 

 afloat, than new ones broke out. The first news of a 

 morning was commonly the unpleasant announcement of 



