1 62 BANKS OF THE CHOBE RIVER. 



Having shot a leche, and made a glorious fire, we got a 

 good cup of tea and had a comfortable night. While 

 collecting wood that evening, I found a bird's nest con- 

 sisting of live leaves sewn together with threads of the 

 spider's web. Nothing could exceed the airiness of this 

 pretty contrivance ; the threads had been pushed through 

 small punctures and thickened to resemble a knot. I 

 unfortunately lost it. This was the second nest I have 

 seen resembling that of the tailor-bird of India. 



Next morning, by climbing the highest trees, we could 

 see a fine large sheet of water, but surrounded on all 

 sides by the same impenetrable belt of reeds. This is the 

 broad part of the river Chobe, and is called Zabesa. Two 

 tree-covered islands seemed to be much nearer to the 

 water than the shore on which we were, so we made an 

 attempt to get to them first. It was not the reeds alone 

 we had to pass through ; a peculiar serrated grass, which 

 at certain angles cut the hands like a razor, was mingled 

 with the reed, and the climbing convolvulus, with stalks 

 which felt as strong as whipcord, bound the mass together. 

 We felt like pigmies in it, and often the only way we 

 could get on was by both of us leaning against a part and 

 bending it down till we could stand upon it. The per- 

 spiration streamed off our bodies, and as the sun rose 

 high, there being no ventilation among the reeds, the 

 heat was stifling, and the water, which was up to the knees, 

 felt agreeably refreshing. After some hours' toil we 

 reached one of the islands. Here we met an old friend, 

 the bramble-bush. My strong moleskins were quite worn 

 through at the knees, and the leather trousers of my com- 

 panion were torn and his legs bleeding. Tearing my 

 handkerchief in two, I tied the pieces round my knees, 

 and then encountered another difficulty. We were still 

 forty or fifty yards from the clear water, but now we were 

 opposed by great masses of papyrus, which are like palms 

 in miniature, eight or ten feet high, and an inch and a half 

 in diameter. These were laced together by twining con- 

 volvulus, so strongly that the weight of both of us could 

 not make way into "the clear water. At last we fortunately 

 found a passage prepared by a hippopotamus. Bager as 

 soon as we reached the island to look along the vista to 

 clear water, I stepped in and found it took me at once up 

 to the neck. 



Returning nearly worn out, we proceeded up the bank 



