362 
AFRICA AND ITS EXPLORATION. 
“ Oh, mother, mother, mother, see ye now ! When I 
was with that other white man here, we camped on a 
strip of land which is now buried in the water ! The 
Tanganika is indeed eating the land ! ” 
The Rugufu oozes out from the midst of a broad bed 
of papyrus and reeds between precipitous banks. 
On leaving the river we coasted along the bluff, 
steeply rising slopes of a mountain range which trends 
south-south-east as far as the settlements of Ruhinga, 
Kafisya, Katavi, and Ivantamba. 
Between the Rugufu and Buyramembe Point a 
stratum of a very dark hornblende slate is visible, 
resting upon gneiss in undulating, vertical, or diagonal 
lines ; farther on we come to a stratified cjuartzose and 
greenstone rock. On the crest of this part of the range 
and its projecting spur is a thin forest of poor trees. 
The soil, too, is poor, and much mixed with shaly 
debris. 
The mouth of the Gezeh river is a frequent haunt of 
herds of buffaloes, and also, being a fine haven, of 
trading canoes. Among the stories related of this place 
is one of a wonderful escape of a party of Wajiji traders 
from the bandits of Ndereh. The robbers stole into 
the camp while the Wajiji were all asleep, but some of 
the canoemen, awaking, punted their boats out of reach, 
and shouted to their comrades, who sprang into the 
water to avoid the fate that would otherwise have 
certainly overtaken them all. 
The settlements of Kafisya, and the others just 
mentioned, have such an ill repute that I cannot 
imagine any necessity inducing a traveller to cultivate 
the acquaintance of the evil-conditioned people, unless, 
of course, he is so rich in cloth and followers that waste 
of them is of little consequence to him. 
It is said that when they see the Wajiji trading 
canoes pass by them, the robbers pray to the Muzimu 
of Katavi to induce the Msaga — the tempestuous sea — 
to drive them ashore. The Muzimu of Katavi is one 
of the most powerful spirits along the shores of the 
Tanganika, according to legendary lore. Though lie is 
