. Narrative of an expedition to the Zambesi and its tributaries; and of the discovery of the lakes Shirwa and Nyassa. 1858-1864 . theopening in which a large old canoe, with a hole in its bot-tom, is seen lying on its side, is the mouth of the creekMutu, which in 1861 appeared in a map published by thePortuguese Minister of Marine and the Colonies as thatthrough which the chief portion of the Zambesi, here abouta mile wide, flowed to Quillimane. In reality, this creek,eight or ten yards wide, is filled with grass, and its bed issix feet or more above the level of the Zambesi. The sideof the cr


. Narrative of an expedition to the Zambesi and its tributaries; and of the discovery of the lakes Shirwa and Nyassa. 1858-1864 . theopening in which a large old canoe, with a hole in its bot-tom, is seen lying on its side, is the mouth of the creekMutu, which in 1861 appeared in a map published by thePortuguese Minister of Marine and the Colonies as thatthrough which the chief portion of the Zambesi, here abouta mile wide, flowed to Quillimane. In reality, this creek,eight or ten yards wide, is filled with grass, and its bed issix feet or more above the level of the Zambesi. The sideof the creek opposite to the canoe is seen in the right of thepicture, and sloping down from the bed to one of the deadbodies may be marked the successive heights at which thewater of the main stream stood from flood-time in March toits medium height in June. For sixty or seventy miles before reaching Mazaro thescenery is tame and uninteresting. On either hand is adreary uninhabited expanse, of the same level grassy plains,with merely a few trees to relieve the painful round green top of the stately palm-tree looks at a. Chap. I. BIRDS AND BEASTS ON RIVER. 33 distance, when its gray trunk can not be seen, as thoughhung in mid-air. Many flocks of busy sand-martins, whichhere, and as far south as the Orange Eiver, do not migrate,have perforated the banks two or three feet horizontally, inorder to place their nests at the ends, and are now chasingon restless wing the myriads of tropical insects. The broadriver has many low islands, on which are seen various kindsof water-fowl, such as geese, spoonbills, herons, and flamin-goes. Repulsive crocodiles, as with open jaws they sleepand bask in the sun on the low banks, soon catch the soundof the revolving paddles and glide quietly into the hippopotamus, having selected some still reach of theriver to spend the day, rises from the bottom, where he hasbeen enjoying his morning bath after the labors of the nighton shore, bl


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Keywords: ., bo, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, bookidnarrativeofexped01livi