the: chobe river. 163 



of the Chobe, till we came to the point of departure of the 

 branch Sanshureh ; we then went in the opposite 

 direction, or down the Chobe, though from the highest 

 trees we could see nothing but one vast expanse of reed, 

 with here and there a tree on the islands. This was a 

 hard day's work ; and when we came to a deserted 

 Bayeiye hut on an anthill, not a bit of wood or anything 

 else could be got for a fire, except the grass and sticks of 

 the dwelling itself. I dreaded the "Tampans," so common 

 in all old huts ; but outside of it we had thousands of 

 mosquitoes, and cold dew began to be deposited, so we 

 were fain to crawl beneath its shelter. 



We were close to the reeds, and could listen to the 

 strange sounds which are often heard there. By day I 

 had seen water-snakes putting up their heads and swim- 

 ming about. There were great numbers of otters (Lutra 

 inunguis, F. Cuvier), which have made little spoors all over 

 the plains in search of the fishes, among the tall grass of 

 these flooded prairies ; curious birds, too, jerked and 

 wriggled among these reedy masses, and we heard human- 

 like voices and unearthly sounds, with splash, guggle, 

 jupp, as if rare fun were going on in their uncouth haunts. 

 At one time something came near us, making a splashing 

 like that of a canoe or hippopotamus : thinking it to be 

 the Makololo, we got up, listened, and shouted ; then 

 discharged a gun several times ; but the noise continued 

 without intermission for an hour. After a damp cold 

 night we set to, early in the morning, at our work of 

 exploring again, but left the pontoon in order to lighten 

 our labour. The anthills are nere very high, some thirty 

 feet, and of a base so broad that trees grow on them ; 

 while the lands, annually flooded, bear nothing but grass. 

 From one of these anthills we discovered an inlet to the 

 Chobe ; and, having gone back for the pontoon, we 

 launched ourselves on a deep river, here from eighty to 

 one hundred yards wide. I gave my companion strict 

 injunctions to stick by the pontoon in case a hippopotamus 

 should look at us ; nor was this caution unnecessary, for 

 one came up at our side and made a desperate plunge off. 

 We had passed over him. The wave he made caused the 

 pontoon to glide quickly away from him. 



We paddled on from midday till sunset. There was 

 nothing but a wall of reed on each bank, and we saw 

 every prospect of spending a supperless night in our float ; 



