Chap. XXV.—B. P. j HOW TO TIGHT u DE DEBBEL.” 427 
meat so soon becomes unfit to eat. I have known 
iguanas with their legs tied across their backs, so that 
they could not escape, live in the bottom of a canoe, 
apparently without any inconvenience or pain, and 
certainly without falling away, for more than a week; 
myself and party would have fared badly on one occa¬ 
sion, had we not fortunately laid in a goodly store of 
this species of live-stock. 
When we re-embarked, I noticed much more 
sprightliness in the manner of the men, and they 
certainly paddled well for some distance. On asking 
the reason of this, I found it emanated from their full 
appreciation of the capital breakfast on their favourite 
food, which they had just had, and which they assured 
me made them stronger and braver, or as one of them 
said, “ Plenty of guana, sar, I fight de debbel, sar! ” 
Just before nine we stopped at the watering-place 
used on our way up to Ivisilala, and there filled our 
kettles and demijohn with the clearest and purest fresh¬ 
water imaginable, obtained from the holes which we 
had scooped out before. The water of the river itself 
was quite unfit to drink; indeed, I found barnacles 
(which, as is well known, cannot stand fresh water) 
within eight miles of the rapids, and, therefore, it is 
fair to infer that the stream is always more or less salt, 
as far as that point at least. 
We had now a decided set of current against us, 
and also a strong breeze, so I discarded the chowpa, 
finding that it held a great deal of wind, and retarded 
the boat’s progress very much. I was nearly roasted 
alive in consequence, for the day turned out one of the 
