536 THE ZAMBESI — ISLAND OF MENYE. 



voice heard across it in vain. Its flow was more rapid 

 than near Sesheke, being often four and a half miles an 

 hour, and, what I never saw before, the water was dis- 

 coloured and of a deep brownish red. In the great valley, 

 the Leeambye never becomes of this colour. The adjacent 

 country, so far north as is known, is all level, and the soil, 

 being generally covered with dense herbage, is not abraded; 

 but on the eastern ridge the case is different ; the grass is 

 short, and, the elevation being great, the soil is washed 

 down by the streams, and hence the discoloration which 

 we now view. The same thing was observed on the 

 western ridge. We never saw discoloration till we reached 

 the Quango ; that obtained its matter from the western 

 slope of the western ridge, just as this part of the Zambesi 

 receives its soil from the eastern slope of the eastern ridge. 

 It carried a considerable quantity of wreck of reeds, sticks, 

 and trees. We struck upon the river about eight miles 

 east of the confluence with the Kafue, and thereby missed 

 a sight of that interesting point. The cloudiness of the 

 weather was such, that but few observations could be 

 made for determining our position, so, pursuing our course, 

 we went down the left bank, and came opposite the island 

 of Menye makaba. The Zambesi contains numerous 

 islands ; this was about a mile and a half or two miles long, 

 and upwards of a quarter of a mile broad. Besides human 

 population, it has a herd of buffaloes that never leave it. 

 In the distance they seemed to be upwards of sixty. The 

 human and brute inhabitants understand each other ; 

 for when the former think they ought to avenge the 

 liberties committed on their gardens, the leaders of the 

 latter come out boldly to give battle. They told us that 

 the only time in which they can thin them, is when the 

 river is full and part of the island flooded. They then 

 attack them from their canoes. The comparatively small 

 space to which they have confined themselves, shows how 

 luxuriant the vegetation of this region is ; for were they 

 in want of more pasture, as buffaloes can swim well and 

 the distance from this bank to the island is not much 

 more than 200 yards, they might easily remove hither. 

 The opposite bank is much more distant. 



Ranges of hills appear now to run parallel with the 

 Zambesi, and are about fifteen miles apart. Those on the 

 north approach nearest to the river. The inhabitants on 

 that side are the Batonga, those on the south bank are the 



