224 HOSPITABLE OLD HEADMAN. CHAP. VIII. 



The crocodiles had a busy time of it in the dark, tearing 

 away at what was left in the river, and thrashing the 

 water furiously with their powerful tails. The hills on 

 both sides of Kariba are much like those of Kebrabasa, the 

 strata tilted and twisted in every direction, with no level 

 ground. 



Although the hills confine the Zambesi within a 

 narrow channel for a number of miles, there are no rapids 

 beyond those near the entrance. The river is smooth and 

 apparently very deep. Only one single human being was 

 seen in the gorge, the country being too rough for culture. 

 Some rocks in the water, near the outlet of Kariba, at a 

 distance look like a fort; and such large masses dislocated, 

 bent, and even twisted to a remarkable degree, at once 

 attest some tremendous upheaving and convulsive action 

 of nature, which probably caused Kebrabasa, Kariba, and 

 the Victoria Falls to assume their present forms ; it took 

 place after the formation of the coal, that mineral having 

 then been tilted up. We have probably nothing equal to 

 it in the present quiet operations of nature. 



On emerging we pitched our camp by a small stream, 

 the Pendele, a few miles below the gorge. The Palabi 

 mountain stands on the western side of the lower end of 

 the Kariba strait; the range to which it belongs crosses 

 the river, and runs to the south-east. Chikumbula, a 

 hospitable old headman, under Nchomokela, the para- 

 mount chief of a large district, whom we did not see. 

 brought us next morning a great basket of meal, and four 

 fowls, with some beer, and a cake of salt, " to make it 

 taste good." Chikumbula said that the elephants plagued 

 them, by eating up the cotton-plants ; but his people seem 

 to be well off. 



A few days before we came, they caught three 

 buffaloes in pitfalls in one night, and, unable to eat them 

 all, left one to rot. During the night the wind changed 



