voyed by Pitsane and
Leshore with their men. Pitsane was ordered by Sekeletu to make a hedge
round the garden at the Falls, to protect the seeds we had brought; and
also to collect some of the tobacco tribute below the Falls. Leshore,
besides acting as a sort of guard of honour to us, was sent on a
diplomatic mission to Sinamane. No tribute was exacted by Sekeletu from
Sinamane; but, as he had sent in his adhesion, he was expected to act as
a guard in case of the Matebele wishing to cross and attack the Makololo.
As we intended to purchase canoes of Sinamane in which to descend the
river, Leshore was to commend us to whatever help this Batoka chief could
render. It must be confessed that Leshore's men, who were all of the
black subject tribes, really needed to be viewed by us in the most
charitable light; for Leshore, on entering any village, called out to the
inhabitants, "Look out for your property, and see that my thieves don't
steal it."

Two young Makololo with their Batoka servants accompanied us to see if
Kebrabasa could be surmounted, and to bring a supply of medicine for
Sekeletu's leprosy; and half a dozen able canoe-men, under Mobito, who
had previously gone with Dr. Livingstone to Loanda, were sent to help us
in our river navigation. Some men on foot drove six oxen which Sekeletu
had given us as provisions for the journey. It was, as before remarked,
a time of scarcity; and, considering the dearth of food, our treatment
had been liberal.

By day the canoe-men are accustomed to keep close under the river's bank
from fear of the hippopotami; by night, however, they keep in the middle
of the stream, as then those animals are usually close to the bank on
their way to their grazing grounds. Our progress was considerably
impeded by the high winds, which at this season of the year begin about
eight in the morning, and blow strongly up the river all day. The canoes
were poor leaky affairs, and so low in parts of the gunwale, that the
paddlers were afraid to follow the channel when it crossed the river,
lest the waves might swamp us. A rough sea is dreaded by all these
inland canoe-men; but though timid, they are by no means unskilful at
their work. The ocean rather astonished them afterwards; and also the
admirable way that the Nyassa men managed their canoes on a rough lake,
and even amongst the breakers, where no small boat could possibly live.

On the night of the 17th we slept on the left bank of the