LAST JOURNEY TO THE COAST 
two feet, these slips threatening to take Harry out of 
his depth. For part of the way we had to swim. 
When we had crossed we took our way to Babooni, 
along a track which ran up a valley and then wound 
up steep precipices. There was no actual village there, 
but only a camp which had been built by Sam on the 
extreme edge of the ridge. The situation was grandly 
picturesque, for this ridge terminated in an abrupt 
precipice, falling several hundred feet, and having the 
appearance of a huge headland thrust out into the 
valley. On each side the cliff came to within a few 
feet of our collecting verandah, and looking down 
from it we could see the confluence of three silvery 
streams, winding through charming tropical vegetation. 
Babooni would have been an ideal spot for a picnic. 
There we spent three weeks and had wonderful success 
in our work. | 
Iixcept that we were in daylight and amid delight- 
ful scenery—a welcome change from the awful gloom 
of the forest at Mafulu—we were, as far as living 
went, no better off than we had been on the higher 
ground, and our staple food was still sweet potatoes ; 
but it was something to have the sun again, and 
altogether we were conscious of a reviving feeling of 
exhilaration at Babooni. The Drepanorms Albertosia, 
one of the finest of the birds-of-paradise, abounded, 
and we secured a considerable number of specimens 
on the opposite hill. I also secured a fine series of 
the Ornithoptera primus, the bird-winged butterfly, 
which is distinguished by its beautiful green and 
velvet-black wings, with brilliant golden fore-wings, 
the under side of which is black. It is very partial to 
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