with hilly islands rising
out of it. The country around appeared very beautiful and clothed with
rich vegetation, with lofty mountains eight thousand feet high near the
eastern shore.

On their return they found Quartermaster Walker, who had charge of the
steamer, dangerously ill, though he ultimately recovered.

They returned to Tete on the 23rd of June, and thence, after the steamer
had been repaired, proceeded to the Kongone, where they received
provisions from HMS "Persian," which also took on board their Krumen, as
they were found useless for land journeys. In their stead a crew was
picked out from the Makololo, who soon learned to work the ship, and
who, besides being good travellers, could cut wood and required only
native food.

Frequent showers fell on their return voyage up the Zambesi, and, the
vessel being leaky, the cabin was constantly flooded, both from above
and below.

They were visited on their way up by Paul, a relative of the rebel
Mariano, who had just returned from Mozambique. He told them that the
Portuguese knew nothing of the Kongone before they had discovered it,
always supposing that the Zambesi entered the sea at Quillimane.

A second trip up the Shire was performed in the middle of August, when
the two doctors set out in search of Lake Nyassa, about which they had
heard.

The river, though narrow, is deeper than the Zambesi, and more easily
navigated.

Marks of large game were seen, and one of the Makololo, who had gone on
shore to cut wood, was suddenly charged at by a solitary buffalo. He
took to flight, pursued by the maddened animal, and was scarcely six
feet before the creature when he reached the bank and sprang into the
river. On both banks a number of hippopotamus-traps were seen.

The animal feeds on grass alone, its enormous lip acting like a mowing
machine, forming a path before it as it feeds. Over these paths the
natives construct a trap, consisting of a heavy beam, five or six feet
long, with a spear-head at one end, covered with poison. This weapon is
hung to a forked pole by a rope which leads across the path, and is held
by a catch, set free as the animal treads upon it. A hippopotamus was
seen which, being frightened by the steamer, rushed on shore and ran
immediately under one of these traps, when down came the heavy beam on
its head.

The leaks in the steamer increased till the cabin became scarcely
habitable.

The neighbourhood of Chibisa's village