Africa . essed in England. Thefalls are bounded on three sides by ridges 300 or 400feet in height, which are covered with forest, with the redsoil appearing among the trees. When about half a milefrom the falls, I left the canoe by which we had comedown thus far, and embarked in a lighter one with menwell acquainted with the rapids, who, by passing down thecentre of the stream, in the eddies and still places causedby the many jutting rocks, brought me to an island,situated in the middle of the river, and on the edge of thelip over which the water rolls. Though we had reached 428 COMPENDIUM OF
Africa . essed in England. Thefalls are bounded on three sides by ridges 300 or 400feet in height, which are covered with forest, with the redsoil appearing among the trees. When about half a milefrom the falls, I left the canoe by which we had comedown thus far, and embarked in a lighter one with menwell acquainted with the rapids, who, by passing down thecentre of the stream, in the eddies and still places causedby the many jutting rocks, brought me to an island,situated in the middle of the river, and on the edge of thelip over which the water rolls. Though we had reached 428 COMPENDIUM OF GEOGRAPHY AND TRAVEL. the island, and were within a few yards of the spot, a viewfrom which would solve the whole problem, I believethat no one could perceive where the vast body of waterwent; it seemed to lose itself in the earth, the oppositelip of the fissure into which it disappeared, being onlyeighty feet distant. Creeping with awe to the verge, Ipeered down into a large rent which had been made from. VICTORIA FALLS I FROM THE GARDEN ISLAND. bank to bank of the broad Zambesi, and saw that a streamof 1000 yards broad leaped down 100 feet, and thenbecame suddenly compressed into a space of fifteen ortwenty yards. The entire falls are simply a crack madein a hard basaltic rock, from the right to the left bank ofthe Zambesi, and then prolonged from the left bank awaythrough thirty or forty miles of hills. ... In lookinginto the fissure, on the right side of the island, one seesnothing but a dense white cloud, which, at the time wevisited the spot, had two bright rainbows on it. From this RIVER ZAMBESI. 429 cloud rushed up a great jet of vapour, exactly like steam,and it mounted 200 or 3 0 0 feet high; there condensing,it changed its hue to that of dark smoke, and came backin a constant shower which wetted us to the skin. Atthe falls the bed of the river is still about 2500 feetabove the sea-level. 5. The Lower Course of the Zambesi. It is worth noticing that none of the East A
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Keywords: ., bookauthorkeaneaha, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, bookyear1878
