210 A RAVENOUS FISH. Chap. VIII. 



night, however, they keep in the middle of the stream, as 

 then those animals are usually close to the bank on their 

 way to their grazing grounds. Our progress was con- 

 siderably impeded by the high winds, which at this 

 season of the year begin about eight in the morning, 

 and blow strongly up the river all day. The canoes were 

 poor leaky affairs, and so low in parts of the gunwale, 

 that the paddlers were afraid to follow the channel when 

 it crossed the river, lest the waves might swamp us. A 

 rough sea is dreaded by all these inland canoe-men ; but 

 though timid, they are by no means unskilful at their 

 work. The ocean rather astonished them afterwards ; 

 and also the admirable way that the Nyassa men managed 

 their canoes on a rough lake, and even amongst the 

 breakers, where no small boat could possibly live. 



On the night of the 17th we slept on the left bank of 

 the Majeele, after having had all the men ferried across. 

 An ox was slaughtered, and not an ounce of it was left 

 next morning. Our two young Makololo companions, 

 Maloka and Ramakukane, having never travelled before, 

 naturally clung to some of the luxuries they had been 

 accustomed to at home. When they lay down to sleep, 

 their servants were called to spread their blankets over 

 their august persons, not forgetting their feet. This seems 

 to be the duty of the Makololo wife to her husband, and 

 strangers sometimes receive the honour. One of our 

 party, having wandered, slept at the village of Nambowe. 

 When he laid down, to his surprise two of Nambowe's 

 wives came at once, and carefully and kindly spread his 

 kaross over him. 



A beautiful silvery fish with reddish fins, called 

 Ngwesi, is very abundant in the river ; large ones weigh 

 fifteen or twenty pounds each. Its teeth are exposed, and 

 so arranged that, when they meet, the edges cut a hook 

 like nippers. The Ngwesi seems to be a very ravenous fish. 



