488 WEAR OF THE ROCKS. 



became giddy, and were fain to go away, holding on to 

 the ground. 



Now, though the edge of the rock over which the river 

 falls, does not show wearing more than three feet, and 

 there is no appearance of the opposite wall being worn 

 out at the bottom in the parts exposed to view, yet it is 

 probable that, where it has flowed beyond the falls, the 

 sides of the fissure ma} 7 " have given way, and the parts 

 out of sight may be broader than the " white cord " on 

 the surface. There may even be some ramifications of 

 the fissure, which take a portion of the stream quite 

 beneath the rocks ; but this I did not learn. 



If we take the want of much wear on the lip of hard 

 basaltic rock as of any value, the period when this rock 

 was riven, is not geologically very remote. I regretted 

 the want of proper means of measuring and marking its 

 width at the falls, in order that, at some future time, the 

 question whether it is progressive or not, might be tested. 

 It seemed as if a palm tree could be laid across it from 

 the island. And if it is progressive, as it would mark a 

 great natural drainage being effected, it might furnish 

 a hope that Africa will one day become a healthy 

 continent. It is at any rate very much changed in 

 respect to its lakes, within a comparatively recent 

 period. 



At three spots near these falls, one of them the island 

 in the middle on which we were, three Batoka chiefs 

 offered up prayers and sacrifices to the Barimo. They 

 chose their places of prayer within the sound of the roar 

 of the cataract, and in sight of the bright bows in the 

 cloud. They must have looked upon the scene with 

 awe. Fear may have induced the selection. The river 

 itself is, to them, mysterious. The words of the canoe- 

 song are — 



" The Leeambye ! Nobody knows, 

 Whence it comes and whither it goes." 



The play of colours of the double iris on the cloud, seen 

 by them elsewhere only as the rainbow, may have led them 

 to the idea that this was the abode of Deity. Some of the 

 Makololo who went with me near to Gonye, looked upon 

 the same sign with awe. When seen in the heavens it is 

 named " motse oa barimo " — the pestle of the gods. 

 Here they could approach the emblem, and see it stand 



