120 MAGNIFICENT MOUNTAIN SCENERY. Chap. V. 



lofty tree-covered mountains, with deep narrow valleys, in 

 which are dry watercourses, or flowing rivulets, stretch 

 from the north-west, and are prolonged on the opposite 

 side of the river in a south-easterly direction. Looking 

 back, the mountain scenery in Kebrabasa was magnificent ; 

 conspicuous from their form and steep sides, are the two 

 gigantic portals of the cataract ; the vast forests still wore 

 their many brilliant autumnal-coloured tints of green, 

 yellow, red, purple, and brown, thrown into relief by the 

 grey bark of the trunks in the background. Among these 

 variegated trees were some conspicuous for their new livery 

 of fresh light-green leaves, as though the winter of others 

 was their spring. The bright sunshine in these mountain 

 forests, and the ever-changing forms of the cloud shadows, 

 gliding over portions of the surface, added fresh charms 

 to scenes already surpassingly beautiful. 



From what we have seen of the Kebrabasa rocks and 

 rapids, it appears too evident that they must always form 

 a barrier to navigation at the ordinary low water of the 

 river ; but the rise of the water in this gorge being as 

 much as eighty feet perpendicularly, it is probable that a 

 steamer might be taken up at high flood, when all the 

 rapids are smoothed over, to run on the Upper Zambesi. 

 The most formidable cataract in it, Morumbwa, has only 

 about twenty feet of fall, in a distance of thirty yards, 

 and it must entirely disappear when the water stands 

 eighty feet higher. Those of the Makololo who worked 

 on board the ship were not sorry at the steamer being left 

 below, as they had become heartily tired of cutting the 

 wood that the insatiable furnace of the " Asthmatic " 

 required. Mbia, who was a bit of a wag, laughingly 

 exclaimed in broken English, " Oh, Kebrabasa good, very 

 good ; no let shippee up to Sekeletu, too muchee work, 

 cuttee woody ee, cuttee woodyee : Kebrabasa good." It is 

 currently reported, and commonly believed, that once upon 



