Chap. VIII. 
BANKS OF THE CHOBE. 
175 
When we tried to enter, the water always became so deep that 
we were fain to desist. We concluded that we had come to the 
banks of the river we were in search of, so we directed onr course 
to some trees wliich appeared in the south, in order to get a bed 
and awiew of the adjacent locality. Having shot a leche, and 
made a glorious fire, we got a good cup of tea and had a com¬ 
fortable night. Wliile collecting wood that evening, I found a 
bird’s nest consisting of live leaves se^vn together with tln-eads 
of the spider’s web. Nothing could exceed the airiness of 
this pretty contrivance; the threads had been pushed through 
small punctures and thickened to resemble a knot. I unfor¬ 
tunately lost it. This was the second nest I have seen resembling 
that of the tailor-bu’d of India. 
Next morning, by climbing the highest trees, we could see a 
fine large sheet of water, but surrounded on all sides by the same 
impenetrable belt of reeds. Tins is the broad part of the river 
Chobe, and is called Zabesa. Two tree-covered islands seemed 
to be much nearer to the water than the shore on which we were, 
so we made an attempt to get to them first. It was not the reeds 
alone we had to pass through; a peculiar serrated grass, which 
at certain angles cut the hands like a razor, was mingled witli 
the reed, and the climbing convolvulus, with stalks which felt as 
strong as whipcord, bound the mass together. We felt like 
pigmies in it, and often the only way we could get on was by both of 
us leaning against a part and bending it down till we could stand 
upon it. The perspu^ation streamed off our bodies, and as the 
sun rose high, there being no ventilation among the reeds, the 
heat was stifling, and the water, wliich was up to the knees, felt 
agreeably refreshing. After some hours’ toil we reached one of 
the islands. Here we met an old friend, the bramble-bush. 
My strong moleskins were quite worn through at the knees, and 
the leather trousers of my companion were torn and his legs 
bleeding. Tearmg my handkerclnef in two, I tied the pieces 
round my knees, and then encountered another difficulty. We 
were still forty or fifty yards from the clear v^ater, but now we 
were opposed by gTeat masses of papyrus, which are like palms 
in miniature, eight or ten feet high, and an inch and a half in 
diameter. These were laced together by twining convolvulus, so 
strongly that the weight of both of us could not make way into 
the clear water. At last we fortunately found a passage prepared 
