to go back and pay for it, and take away about twenty
men now left. Matipa kept all the payment from his own people, and so
left us in the lurch; thus another five days is lost.

_31st March, 1873._--I sent the men back to Matipa's for all our party.
I give two dotis to repair the canoe. Islanders are always troublesome,
from a sense of security in their fastnesses. Made stirrups of thick
brass wire four-fold; they promise to do well. Sent Kabinga a cloth, and
a message, but he is evidently a niggard, like Matipa: we must take him
as we find him, there is no use in growling. Seven of our men returned,
having got a canoe from one of Matipa's men. Kabinga, it seems, was
pleased with the cloth, and says that he will ask for maize from his
people, and buy it for me; he has rice growing. He will send a canoe to
carry me over the next river.

_3rd April, 1873._--Very heavy rain last night. Six inches fell in a
short time. The men at last have come from Matipa's.

_4th April, 1873._--Sent over to Kabinga to buy a cow, and got a fat one
for 2-1/2 dotis, to give the party a feast ere we start. The kambari
fish of the Chambeze is three feet three inches in length.

Two others, the "polwe" and "lopatakwao," all go up the Chambeze to
spawn when the rains begin. Casembe's people make caviare of the spawn
of the "pumbo."

[The next entry is made in a new pocket-book, numbered XVII. For the
first few days pen and ink were used, afterwards a well-worn stump of
pencil, stuck into a steel penholder and attached to a piece of bamboo,
served his purpose.]

_5th April, 1873._--March from Kabinga's on the Chambeze, our luggage in
canoes, and men on land. We punted on flood six feet deep, with many
ant-hills all about, covered with trees. Course S.S.E. for five miles,
across the River Lobingela, sluggish, and about 300 yards wide.

_6th April, 1873._--Leave in the same way, but men were sent from
Kabinga to steal the canoes, which we paid his brother Mateysa
handsomely for. A stupid drummer, beating the alarm in the distance,
called us inland; we found the main body of our people had gone on, and
so by this, our party got separated,[31] and we pulled and punted six or
seven hours S.W. in great difficulty, as the fishermen we saw refused to
show us where the deep water lay. The whole country S. of the Lake was
covered with water, thickly dotted over with lotus-leaves and rushes. It
has a greenish appearance, and it might be well on a ma