The Chobe is much infested by hippopotami, and, as certain elderly males are expelled the herd, they become soured in their temper, and so misanthropic as to attack every canoe that passes near them.  The herd is never dangerous, except when a canoe passes into the midst of it when all are asleep, and some of them may strike the canoe in terror.  To avoid this, it is generally recommended to travel by day near the bank, and by night in the middle of the stream.  As a rule, these animals flee the approach of man.  The “solitaires”, however, frequent certain localities well known to the inhabitants on the banks, and, like the rogue elephants, are extremely dangerous.  We came, at this time, to a canoe which had been smashed to pieces by a blow from the hind foot of one of them.  I was informed by my men that, in the event of a similar assault being made upon ours, the proper way was to dive to the bottom of the river, and hold on there for a few seconds, because the hippopotamus, after breaking a canoe, always looks for the people on the surface, and, if he sees none, he soon moves off.  I have seen some frightful gashes made on the legs of the people who have had the misfortune to be attacked, and were unable to dive.  This animal uses his teeth as an offensive weapon, though he is quite a herbivorous feeder.  One of these “bachelors”, living near the confluence, actually came out of his lair, and, putting his head down, ran after some of our men who were passing with very considerable speed.

The part of the river called Zabesa, or Zabenza, is spread out like a little lake, surrounded on all sides by dense masses of tall reeds.  The river below that is always one hundred or one hundred and twenty yards broad, deep, and never dries up so much as to become fordable.  At certain parts, where the partial absence of reeds affords a view of the opposite banks, the Makololo have placed villages of observation against their enemies the Matebele.  We visited all these in succession, and found here, as every where in the Makololo country, orders had preceded us, “that Nake (nyake means doctor) must not be allowed to become hungry.”

The banks of the Chobe, like those of the Zouga, are of soft calcareous tufa, and the river has cut out for itself a deep, perpendicular-sided bed.  Where the banks are high, as at the spot where the wagons stood in 1851, they are covered with magnificent trees, the habitat of tsetse, and the retreat of various antelopes, wild hogs, zebras, buffaloes, and elephants.

Among the trees may be observed some species of the ‘Ficus Indica’, light-green colored acacias, the splendid motsintsela, and evergreen cypress-shaped motsouri.  The fruit of the last-named was ripe, and the villagers presented many dishes of its beautiful pink-colored plums; they are used chiefly to form a pleasant acid drink.  The motsintsela is a very lofty tree, yielding a wood of which good canoes are made; the fruit is nutritious and good, but, like many wild fruits of this country, the fleshy parts require to be enlarged by cultivation:  it is nearly all stone.