. The Zambesi Basin and Nyassaland . eep ontbe opposite bank. To ask porters to accompanyme out of sigbt of tbe water was met witliderision. As a stranger, I knew little of tbej\Iakanga except from tbe reports I beard fromtbe Portuguese, wbo considered tbat fifty mileswas tbe nearest tbey could approacb a native ofMakanga witb security. Tbe wbole of tbeopposite bank was deserted, and I did notknow bow far inland was tbe first Makano-a o town; indeed I did not care very mucb to findout, for I considered tbat tbe Portuguese mustbave bad good reasons for tbeir estimation of tbebostility of tbese
. The Zambesi Basin and Nyassaland . eep ontbe opposite bank. To ask porters to accompanyme out of sigbt of tbe water was met witliderision. As a stranger, I knew little of tbej\Iakanga except from tbe reports I beard fromtbe Portuguese, wbo considered tbat fifty mileswas tbe nearest tbey could approacb a native ofMakanga witb security. Tbe wbole of tbeopposite bank was deserted, and I did notknow bow far inland was tbe first Makano-a o town; indeed I did not care very mucb to findout, for I considered tbat tbe Portuguese mustbave bad good reasons for tbeir estimation of tbebostility of tbese people to Europeans. I tbougbttbat by passing up tbe side of tbe falls I migbtjDossibly encounter natives on tbe outskirts oftbe Makanga territory wbo would enable me atleast to move from my present position. Early one morning I got togetber four Arabs,a boy to carry a blanket, two or tbree boxes ofsardines and biscuits for my own use, left myofficers in cbarge of tbe camp and goods, andcrossed tbe river to reconnoitre. For two days. A DESERT MARCH. 119 we trudged over burniDg rocks, and slept atnight on the sand, serenaded by a ring of whole country was deserted, not a house orhabitation of any kind was to be seen. Nowand then we found tracks leading into the in-terior, and followed them up for several miles,but not meeting with water, were forced to returnand resume our toilsome march over the scorch-ing sand on the Zambesi. As soon as we reachedthe rushing waters, our tongues dried up in ourmouths, and we plunged our heads into the coolstream, reo-ardless of the crocodiles swarming^around. I never knew till that time the deliohtof a temperance drink. I have tasted whiskysince, but it has never given me the satisfactionand exhilarating pleasure I got when dippingmy heated head in the blue cold Zambesi, ex-pecting every moment it would be nipped off bya crocodile. AVhile we w^ere drinking, one ofour party splashed the water with his hands,shrieking out at the top of
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, bookidzambesibasin, bookyear1893
