we then said; the coal-field probably extends from
the Zambesi to the Rovuma, if not beyond it. Some of the rocks lower
down have the permanent water-line three feet above the present height of
the water.

A few miles west of the Makoa of Matingula, we came again among the
Makonde, but now of good repute. War and slavery have driven them to
seek refuge on the sand-banks. A venerable-looking old man hailed us as
we passed, and asked us if we were going by without speaking. We landed,
and he laid down his gun and came to us; he was accompanied by his
brother, who shook hands with every one in the boat, as he had seen
people do at Kilwa. "Then you have seen white men before?" we said.
"Yes," replied the polite African, "but never people of your quality."
These men were very black, and wore but little clothing. A young woman,
dressed in the highest style of Makonde fashion, punting as dexterously
as a man could, brought a canoe full of girls to see us. She wore an
ornamental head-dress of red beads tied to her hair on one side of her
head, a necklace of fine beads of various colours, two bright figured
brass bracelets on her left arm, and scarcely a farthing's worth of
cloth, though it was at its cheapest.

As we pushed on westwards, we found that the river makes a little
southing, and some reaches were deeper than any near the sea; but when we
had ascended about 140 miles by the river's course from the sea, soft
tufa rocks began to appear; ten miles beyond, the river became more
narrow and rocky, and when, according to our measurement, we had ascended
156 miles, our further progress was arrested. We were rather less than
two degrees in a straight line from the Coast. The incidents worth
noticing were but few: seven canoes with loads of salt and rice kept
company with us for some days, and the further we went inland, the more
civil the people became.

When we came to a stand, just below the island of Nyamatolo, Long. 38
degrees 36 minutes E., and Lat. 11 degrees 53 minutes, the river was
narrow, and full of rocks. Near the island there is a rocky rapid with
narrow passages fit only for native canoes; the fall is small, and the
banks quite low; but these rocks were an effectual barrier to all further
progress in boats. Previous reports represented the navigable part of
this river as extending to the distance of a month's sail from its mouth;
we found that, at the ordinary heights of the water, a boat might reac