eached the island to
look along the vista to clear water, I stepped in and found it took me
at once up to the neck.

Returning nearly worn out, we proceeded up the bank of the Chobe till we
came to the point of departure of the branch Sanshureh; we then went in
the opposite direction, or down the Chobe, though from the highest trees
we could see nothing but one vast expanse of reed, with here and there
a tree on the islands. This was a hard day's work; and when we came to a
deserted Bayeiye hut on an ant-hill, not a bit of wood or any thing
else could be got for a fire except the grass and sticks of the dwelling
itself. I dreaded the "Tampans", so common in all old huts; but
outside of it we had thousands of mosquitoes, and cold dew began to be
deposited, so we were fain to crawl beneath its shelter.

We were close to the reeds, and could listen to the strange sounds which
are often heard there. By day I had seen water-snakes putting up their
heads and swimming about. There were great numbers of otters ('Lutra
inunguis', F. Cuvier), which have made little spoors all over the plains
in search of the fishes, among the tall grass of these flooded prairies;
curious birds, too, jerked and wriggled among these reedy masses, and we
heard human-like voices and unearthly sounds, with splash, guggle,
jupp, as if rare fun were going on in their uncouth haunts. At one
time something came near us, making a splashing like that of a canoe or
hippopotamus; thinking it to be the Makololo, we got up, listened, and
shouted; then discharged a gun several times; but the noise continued
without intermission for an hour. After a damp, cold night we set to,
early in the morning, at our work of exploring again, but left the
pontoon in order to lighten our labor. The ant-hills are here very high,
some thirty feet, and of a base so broad that trees grow on them; while
the lands, annually flooded, bear nothing but grass. From one of these
ant-hills we discovered an inlet to the Chobe; and, having gone back for
the pontoon, we launched ourselves on a deep river, here from eighty to
one hundred yards wide. I gave my companion strict injunctions to stick
by the pontoon in case a hippopotamus should look at us; nor was this
caution unnecessary, for one came up at our side and made a desperate
plunge off. We had passed over him. The wave he made caused the pontoon
to glide quickly away from him.

We paddled on from midday till sunset. There was nothi