Chap. LXIV. ANIMATED SCENERY. 
383 
place of resort for numbers of pelicans, and the lower 
ground emerging at present only three feet out of 
the water, was enlivened by numbers of water-birds, 
which were looking out greedily for their prey. 
Here we again changed our course, following a 
great many windings, but proceeding generally in an 
easterly direction. But now the watercourse began 
to exhibit more and more the character of a noble 
river, bordered by strongly marked banks, clad with 
fine timber, chiefly tamarind and kana trees, and 
occasionally enlivened by cattle. Our voyage was 
very delightful, gliding, as we were, smoothly along 
the surface of the water, and keeping mostly in the 
middle of the noble stream, our boatmen only changing 
their course once to touch at the northern shore, in 
order to procure for a few shells the luxury of some 
kola nuts, of which even these poor people were by 
no means insensible. At length, having passed be- 
tween the villages of Haibongu on the northern, and 
Dara-kaina on the southern, shore, we again exchanged 
our south-easterly direction for a more northerly one, 
proceeding along a very broad watercourse ; but, 
after a while, the open water was broken by a broad 
grassy island, which left only a small channel on 
the west side, while that on the east was of tolerable 
width. Meanwhile the evening was approaching, 
and we met with several delays, once in order to buy 
some fish, and another time on account of our 
boatmen having lost their harpoon, with which they 
occasionally endeavoured to catch some large species 
