Chap. XL MOON-BLINDNESS. 303 



unusually large, and of a circular shape, like boys' play- 

 things called " suckers." We were told that this fish is 

 found also in the Zambesi, and is called Chirire. Though 

 all its fins are large, it is asserted that it rarely ventures 

 out into the stream, but remains near its hole, where it is 

 readily caught by the hand. 



The Zambesi men thoroughly understood the character- 

 istic marks of deep or shallow water, and showed great 

 skill in finding out the proper channel. The Molimo is 

 the steersman at the helm, the Mokadamo is the head 

 canoe-man, and he stands erect on the bows with a long- 

 pole in his hands, and directs the steersman where to go, 

 aiding the rudder, if necessary, with his pole. The others 

 preferred to stand and punt our boat, rather than row with 

 our long oars, being able to shove her ahead faster than 

 they could pull her. They are accustomed to short 

 paddles. Our Mokadamo was affected with moon-blind- 

 ness, and could not see at all at night. His comrades then 

 led him about, and handed him his food. They thought 

 that it was only because his eyes rested all night, that he 

 could see the channel so well by day. At difficult places 

 the Mokadamo sometimes, however, made mistakes, and 

 ran us aground; and the others, evidently imbued with 

 the spirit of resistance to constituted authority, and led by 

 Joao an aspirant for the office, jeered him for his stupidity. 

 " Was he asleep ? Why did he allow the boat to come 

 there ? Could he not see the channel was somewhere 

 else?" At last the Mokadamo threw down the pole in 

 disgust, and told Joao he might be a Mokadamo himself. 

 The office was accepted with alacrity; but in a few 

 minutes he too ran us into a worse difficulty than his pre- 

 decessor ever did, and was at once disrated amidst the 

 derision of his comrades. 



On the 16th September, we arrived at the inhabited 

 island of Kichokomane. The usual way of approaching 



