THE FALLS OF THE ZAMBESI 



569 



From the western extremity of the 

 Rain Forest the leaping waters of the 

 "Cascade" can be seen to best advantage, 

 while its entire front, bordering on the 

 great crevasse into which the river hurls 

 itself, furnishes a superb view of the 

 crest of the Falls from end to end, ex- 

 cept when interrupted by the whirling 

 masses of spray that shoot from the 

 seething cauldron below. Here, too, 

 innumerable brilliant rainbows, "those 

 frolic children of the wanton sun," are 

 seen in great perfection and varying 

 positions, while white-winged swallows 

 sportively shoot through their radiantly 

 prismed arches, as they take their bath 

 in the tinted spray (see page 568). 



But the most thrilling scene is from 

 the eastern extremity of the Rain Forest 

 at Danger Point, where the treacherous 

 vines and grasses, clinging to the rocks 

 with hungry, desperate roots, tempt one 

 to the very verge of the precipitate cliffs 

 that seem to tremble with the terrific 

 shock of the cataract. So dense here at 

 times is the mass of vapor hurled from 

 the seething cauldron that the sun's rays 

 can no longer penetrate it, and complete 

 darkness envelops one as he is delayed 

 by the downpour, while the terrific thun- 

 der of the Falls drowns all other sounds 

 and makes his own voice inaudible (see 

 page 567)- 



Occasionally a violent blast opens a 

 rift through the blackness and mist, dis- 

 closing a momentary view of the lashing 

 waters in the boiling cauldron, whose 

 heaving, battling surface and pyramids 

 of emerald foam change with kaleido- 

 scopic rapidity. It has been appropri- 

 ately suggested by Mr. Knight that this 

 spot be called Valkyrie, on account of its 

 resemblance to the legend of the heroic 

 daughter of Odin and its wild expression 

 of the music of Wagner. Certainly no 

 more fitting environment for the wild 

 ride of the soul of the brave over the 

 Rainbow Bridge to the Valhalla could be 

 imagined. 



Even the Inferno of Dante, in the pas- 

 sage over the Styx, as pictured by Dore, 

 does not surpass this as a spectacle of 

 terrifying fury. 



Another favorite study is the Kloof, or 

 Palm Garden, hidden in the first of the 

 serpentine curves of the canyon below 

 the Falls and reached from the bridge 

 by a zigzag pathway, which descends in 

 comparatively easy stages through a tan- 

 gled primeval jungle to the rushing 

 waters of the gorge below. Here again 

 Nature, with lavish hands, has shown 

 her prodigality. Palms of enormous size 

 and variety, bathed by eternal spray, 

 mingle so densely with other forest 

 growths as completely to shut out the 

 direct rays of the sun and form a safe 

 refuge for the richly plumed parrots and 

 monkeys that frolic in their branches. 

 From the edge of the waters of this 

 tropic jungle an upward view of the 

 Falls enables one to appreciate them in 

 their full height and beauty, and to carry 

 away a lasting impression of their ma- 

 jestic grandeur as seen from below. 



The lip of the Falls is broken by four 

 islands, which interrupt its flow just as 

 Goat Island divides Niagara. The na- 

 tives appropriately named the first of 

 these Boruka Isle — "divider of waters." 

 Between this point and the shore the 

 river channel is deep and shelving, and 

 the leaping waters of the cascade rush 

 with fearful impetuosity, shooting clear 

 from the precipitous walls, in their mad 

 flight to the abyss 250 feet below, while 

 the echoing woods ring with the thunder 

 of their boisterous glee. 



No less interesting is the second or 

 Livingstone Island, both because of its 

 historic interest and for the fascinating 

 views of the chasm it affords. It was 

 from this island the great explorer first 

 peered into the awful fissure that seemed 

 to engulf and swallow up the river for- 

 ever. Singularly, too, the natives' name 

 for it was Kempongo, meaning Goat 

 Island ; and, like its fellow at Niagara, it 

 occupies an almost identical position on 

 the extreme edge of the Falls, near their 

 center. 



In his own description Livingstone, 

 who saw it in the late autumn, says : "In 

 coming hither there was danger of being 

 swept down by the streams which rushed 

 along each side of the island ; but the 



