60 MOUNT MAKANGA. Chap. II. 



fountain the mud is as hot as can be borne by the body. 

 In taking a bath there, it makes the skin perfectly clean, 

 and none of the mud adheres : it is strange that the Portu- 

 guese do not resort to it for the numerous cutaneous 

 diseases with which they are so often afflicted. 



A few clumps of the palm and acacia trees appear west 

 of Morambala, on the rich plain forming the tongue of land 

 between the rivers Shire and Zambesi. This is a good 

 place for all sorts of game. The Zambesi canoe-men were 

 afraid to sleep on it from the idea of lions being there; 

 they preferred to pass the night on an island. Some black 

 men, who accompanied us as volunteer workmen from 

 Shupanga, called out one evening that a lion stood on the 

 bank. It was very dark, and we could only see two 

 sparkling lights, said to be the lion's eyes looking at us ; 

 for here, as elsewhere, they have a theory that the lion's 

 eyes always flash fire at night. Not being fireflies — as 

 they did not move when a shot was fired in their direction 

 — they were probably glowworms. 



Beyond Morambala the Shire comes winding through 

 an extensive marsh. For many miles to the north a broad 

 sea of fresh green grass extends, and is so level, that it 

 might be used for taking the meridian altitude of the sun. 

 Ten or fifteen miles north of Morambala, stands the dome- 

 shaped mountain Makanga, or Chi-kanda ; several others 

 with granitic-looking peaks stretch away to the north, and 

 form the eastern boundary of the valley ; another range, 

 but of metamorphic rocks, commencing opposite Senna, 

 bounds the valley on the west. After streaming through 

 a portion of this marsh, we came to a broad belt of palm 

 and other trees, crossing the fine plain on the right bank. 

 Marks of large game were abundant. Elephants had been 

 feeding on the palm nuts, which have a pleasant fruity 

 taste, and are used as food by man. Two pythons were 

 observed coiled together among the branches of a large 



