shallow sandbank, lay a large herd of hippopotami,
their bodies out of the water, like masses of black rock. Kambadzo's
island, called Nyangalule, a name which occurs again at the mouth of the
Zambesi, has many choice Motsikiri (_Trachelia_) trees on it; and four
very conspicuous stately palms growing out of a single stem. The Kafue
reminds us a little of the Shire, flowing between steep banks, with
fertile land on both sides. It is a smaller river, and has less current.
Here it seems to come from the west. The headman of the village, near
which we encamped, brought a present of meal, fowls, and sweet potatoes.
They have both the red and white varieties of this potato. We have, on
several occasions during this journey, felt the want of vegetables, in a
disagreeable craving which our diet of meat and native meal could not
satisfy. It became worse and worse till we got a meal of potatoes, which
allayed it at once. A great scarcity of vegetables prevails in these
parts of Africa. The natives collect several kinds of wild plants in the
woods, which they use no doubt for the purpose of driving off cravings
similar to those we experienced.

Owing to the strength of the wind, and the cranky state of the canoes, it
was late in the afternoon of the 11th before our party was ferried over
the Kafue. After crossing, we were in the Bawe country. Fishhooks here,
of native workmanship, were observed to have barbs like the European
hooks: elsewhere the point of the hook is merely bent in towards the
shank, to have the same effect in keeping on the fish as the barb. We
slept near a village a short distance above the ford. The people here
are of Batoka origin, the same as many of our men, and call themselves
Batonga (independents), or Balengi, and their language only differs
slightly from that of the Bakoa, who live between the two rivers Kafue
and Loangwa. The paramount chief of the district lives to the west of
this place, and is called Nchomokela--an hereditary title: the family
burying-place is on a small hill near this village. The women salute us
by clapping their hands and lullilooing as we enter and leave a village,
and the men, as they think, respectfully clap their hands on their hips.
Immense crops of mapira (_holcus sorghum_) are raised; one species of it
forms a natural bend on the seed-stalk, so that the massive ear hangs
down. The grain was heaped up on wooden stages, and so was a variety of
other products.