nti, but here we were in the
middle of it; fruits, which we had eaten ripe on the Leeambye, were here
quite green; but we were coming into the region where the inhabitants
are favored with two rainy seasons and two crops, i.e., when the sun is
going south, and when he comes back on his way to the north, as was the
case at present.

On the 8th, one of the men had left an ounce or two of powder at our
sleeping-place, and went back several miles for it. My clothing being
wet from crossing a stream, I was compelled to wait for him; had I been
moving in the sun I should have felt no harm, but the inaction led to
a violent fit of fever. The continuance of this attack was a source of
much regret, for we went on next day to a small rivulet called Chihune,
in a lovely valley, and had, for a wonder, a clear sky and a clear moon;
but such was the confusion produced in my mind by the state of my body,
that I could scarcely manage, after some hours' trial, to get a lunar
observation in which I could repose confidence. The Chihune flows into
the Longe, and that into the Chihombo, a feeder of the Kasai. Those who
know the difficulties of taking altitudes, times, and distances, and
committing all of them to paper, will sympathize with me in this and
many similar instances. While at Chihune, the men of a village brought
wax for sale, and, on finding that we wished honey, went off and soon
brought a hive. All the bees in the country are in possession of the
natives, for they place hives sufficient for them all. After having
ascertained this, we never attended the call of the honey-guide, for
we were sure it would only lead us to a hive which we had no right to
touch. The bird continues its habit of inviting attention to the honey,
though its services in this district are never actually needed. My
Makololo lamented that they never knew before that wax could be sold for
any thing of value.

As we traverse a succession of open lawns and deep forests, it is
interesting to observe something like instinct developed even in trees.
One which, when cut, emits a milky juice, if met with on the open lawns,
grows as an ordinary umbrageous tree, and shows no disposition to be
a climber; when planted in a forest it still takes the same form, then
sends out a climbing branch, which twines round another tree until it
rises thirty or forty feet, or to the level of the other trees, and
there spreads out a second crown where it can enjoy a fair share of