in a future State, and in the Existence of spiritual Beings—­Gardens—­Fish, Fruit, and Game—­Proceed to the Limits of the Barotse Country—­ Sekeletu provides Rowers and a Herald—­The River and Vicinity—­ Hippopotamus-hunters—­No healthy Location—­Determine to go to Loanda—­ Buffaloes, Elands, and Lions above Libonta—­Interview with the Mambari—­ Two Arabs from Zanzibar—­Their Opinion of the Portuguese and the English —­Reach the Town of Ma-Sekeletu—­Joy of the People at the first Visit of their Chief—­Return to Sesheke—­Heathenism.

Having at last procured a sufficient number of canoes, we began to ascend the river.  I had the choice of the whole fleet, and selected the best, though not the largest; it was thirty-four feet long by twenty inches wide.  I had six paddlers, and the larger canoe of Sekeletu had ten.  They stand upright, and keep the stroke with great precision, though they change from side to side as the course demands.  The men at the head and stern are selected from the strongest and most expert of the whole.  The canoes, being flat bottomed, can go into very shallow water; and whenever the men can feel the bottom they use the paddles, which are about eight feet long, as poles to punt with.  Our fleet consisted of thirty-three canoes, and about one hundred and sixty men.  It was beautiful to see them skimming along so quickly, and keeping the time so well.  On land the Makalaka fear the Makololo; on water the Makololo fear them, and can not prevent them from racing with each other, dashing along at the top of their speed, and placing their masters’ lives in danger.  In the event of a capsize, many of the Makololo would sink like stones.  A case of this kind happened on the first day of our voyage up.  The wind, blowing generally from the east, raises very large waves on the Leeambye.  An old doctor of the Makololo had his canoe filled by one of these waves, and, being unable to swim, was lost.  The Barotse who were in the canoe with him saved themselves by swimming, and were afraid of being punished with death in the evening for not saving the doctor as well.  Had he been a man of more influence, they certainly would have suffered death.

We proceeded rapidly up the river, and I felt the pleasure of looking on lands which had never been seen by a European before.  The river is, indeed, a magnificent one, often more than a mile broad, and adorned with many islands of from three to five miles in length.  Both islands and banks are covered with forest, and most of the trees on the brink of the water send down roots from their branches like the banian, or ’Ficus Indica’.  The islands at a little distance seem great rounded masses of sylvan vegetation reclining on the bosom of the glorious stream.  The beauty of the scenery of some of the islands is greatly increased by the date-palm, with its gracefully curved fronds and refreshing light green color, near the bottom of the picture, and the lofty palmyra towering far above, and casting its