Chap. VIII. dead hippopotamus. 223 



current, followed by a number of men on the bank. A 

 native called to us from the left bank, and said that a man 

 on his side knew how to pray to the Kariba gods, and 

 advised us to hire him to pray for our safety, while we 

 were going down the rapids, or we should certainly all be 

 drowned. No one ever risked his life in Kariba without 

 first paying the river-doctor, or priest, for his prayers. 

 Our men asked if there was a cataract in front, but he 

 declined giving any information ; they were not on his 

 side of the river ; if they would come over, then he might 

 be able to tell them. We crossed, but he went off to the 

 village. We then landed and walked over the hills to 

 have a look at Karaba before trusting our canoes in it. 

 The current was strong, and there was broken water in 

 some places, but the channel was nearly straight, and had 

 no cataract, so we determined to risk it. Our men visited 

 the village while we were gone, and were treated to beer 

 and tobacco. The priest who knows how to pray to the 

 god that rules the rapids followed us with several of his 

 friends, and they were rather surprised to see us pass 

 down in safety, without the aid of his intercession. The 

 natives who followed the dead hippopotamus caught it a 

 couple of miles below, and, having made it fast to a rock, 

 were sitting waiting for us on the bank beside the dead 

 animal. As there was a considerable current there, and 

 the rocky banks were unfit for our beds, we took the 

 hippopotamus in tow, telling the villagers to follow, and 

 we would give them most of the meat. The crocodiles 

 tugged so hard at the carcass, that we were soon obliged 

 to cast it adrift, to float down in the current, to avoid 

 upsetting the canoe. We had to go on so far before 

 finding a suitable spot to spend the night in, that the 

 natives concluded we did not intend to share the meat 

 with them, and returned to the village. We slept two 

 nights at the place where the hippopotamus was cut up. 



