Chap. VIII. THE KARIVUA RAPIDS. 227 



and his statements are not very much to be relied on. 

 But considering the influence among which he has been 

 reared, and the want of the means of education at Tette, 

 it is a wonder that he possesses the good traits that he 

 sometimes exhibits. Among his wares were several cheap 

 American clocks ; a useless investment rather, for a part 

 of Africa where no one cares for the artificial measure- 

 ment of time. These clocks got him into trouble among 

 the Banyai : he set them all agoing in the presence of a 

 chief, who became frightened at the strange sounds they 

 made, and looked upon them as so many witchcraft 

 agencies at work to bring all manner of evils upon him- 

 self and his people. Sequasha, it was decided, had been 

 guilty of a milando, or crime, and he had to pay a heavy 

 fine of cloth and beads for his exhibition. He alluded to 

 our having heard that he had killed Mpangwe, and he 

 denied having actually done so ; but in his absence his 

 name had got mixed up in the affair, in consequence of his 

 slaves, while drinking beer one night with Namakusuru, 

 the man who succeeded Mpangwe, saying that they would 

 kill the chief for him. His partner had not thought of 

 this when we saw him on the way up, for he tried to 

 excuse the murder, by saying that now they had put the 

 right man into the chieftainship. 



After three hours' sail, on the morning of the 29th, the 

 river was narrowed again by the mountains of Mburuma. 

 called Karivua, into one channel, and another rapid dimly 

 appeared. It was formed by two currents guided by 

 rocks to the centre. In going down it, the men sent by 

 Sekeletu behaved very nobly. The canoes entered with- 

 out previous survey, and the huge jobbling waves of mid- 

 current began at once to fill them. With great presence 

 of mind, and without a moment's hesitation, two men 

 lightened each by jumping overboard ; they then ordered 

 a Botoka man to do the same, as " the white men must be 



