Chap. IV. PAMALOMBE LAKELET. 89 



CHAPTER IV. 



The Upper Shire — Discovery of Lake Nyassa — Distressing explora- 

 tion — Keturn to Zambesi — Unpleasant visitors — Start for Sekeletu's 

 Country in the interior. 



Our path followed the Shire above the cataracts, which is 

 now a broad deep river, with but little current. It ex- 

 pands in one place into a lakelet, called Pamalonibe, full of 

 fine fish, and ten or twelve miles long by five or six 

 in breadth. Its banks are low, and a dense wall of 

 papyrus encircles it. On its western shore rises a range of 

 hills running north. On reaching the village of the 

 chief Muana-Moesi, and about a day's march distant from 

 Nyassa, we were told that no lake had ever been heard of 

 there ; that the River Shire stretched on as we saw it now 

 to a distance of " two months," and then came out from 

 between perpendicular rocks, which towered almost to the 

 skies. Our men looked blank at this piece of news, and 

 said, " Let us go back to the ship, it is of no use trying to 

 find the lake." "We shall go and see those wonderful rocks 

 at any rate," said the Doctor. " And when you see them,'* 

 replied Masakasa, " you will just want to see something 

 else. But there is a lake," rejoined Masakasa, " for all 

 their denying it, for it is down in a book." Masakasa, 

 having unbounded faith in whatever was in a book, went 

 and scolded the natives for telling him an untruth. 

 " There is a lake," said he, " for how could the white men 

 know about it in a book if it did not exist ? " They then 



