212 
ISLANDS—THE BANYETI. 
Chap. XIL 
old doctor of the Makololo had liis canoe filled by one of these 
waves, and, being unable to swim, was lost; the Barotse who 
were in the canoe with him saved themselves by swimming, and 
were afraid of being punished with death in the evening for not 
saving the doctor as well. Had he been a man of more influence, 
they certainly would have suffered death. 
We proceeded rapidly up the river, and I felt the pleasure of 
looking on lands which had never been seen by an European 
before. The river is, indeed, a magnificent one, often more 
than a mile broad, and adorned with many islands of from three 
to five miles in lengdh. Both islands and banks are covered with 
forest, and most of the trees on the brink of the water send 
down roots from them branches like the banian, or Ficus Indica. 
The islands at a little distance seem gveat rounded masses of 
sylvan vegetation reclining on the bosom of the glorious stream. 
The beauty of the scenery of some of the islands is greatly in¬ 
creased by the date-j)alm, with its gracefully cmwed fronds and 
refresliing light-gTeen colom^, near the bottom of the pictoe, and 
the lofty palm}Ta towering far above, and casting its feathery 
foliag^ against a cloudless sl^y. It being winter, we had the 
strange colomlng on the banks which many parts of African 
landscape assume. The country adjacent to the river is rocky 
and undulating, abounding in elephants and all the other large 
game, except leches and nakongs, wliich seem generally to avoid 
stony ground. The soil is of a reddish colour, and very fertile, 
as is attested by the great quantity of grain raised annually by 
the Banyeti. A great many villages of this poor and very in¬ 
dustrious people are situated on both banks of the river; they 
are expert hunters of the hippopotami and other animals, and 
very proficient in the manufacture of articles of wood and mon. 
The whole of this part of the country being infested with the 
tsetse, they are unable to rear domestic animals. This may 
have led to their skill in handicraft works. Some make large 
wooden vessels with very neat lids, and wooden bowls of all 
sizes; and since the idea of sitting on stools has entered the 
Makololo mind, they have shown great taste in the different 
forms given to the legs of these pieces of furniture. 
Other Banyeti, or Manyeti, as they are called, make neat and 
strong baskets of the split roots of a certain tree, whilst others 
