The Malaria Of The Dense
Masses Of Floating Vegetation Was Most Poisonous, And Upon Looking Back
To The Canoe That Followed In Our Wake I Observed All My Men Sitting
Crouched Together Sick And Dispirited, Looking Like Departed Spirits
Being Ferried Across The Melancholy Styx.
The woman Bacheeta knew the country, as she had formerly been to Magungo
when in the service of Sali, who had been subsequently murdered by
Kamrasi.
She informed me on the second day that we should terminate our
canoe voyage on that day, as we should arrive at the great waterfall of
which she had often spoken. As we proceeded the river gradually narrowed
to about 180 yards, and when the paddles ceased working we could
distinctly hear the roar of water. I had heard this on waking in the
morning, but at the time I had imagined it to proceed from distant
thunder. By ten o'clock the current had so increased as we proceeded
that it was distinctly perceptible, although weak. The roar of the
waterfall was extremely loud, and after sharp pulling for a couple of
hours, during which time the stream increased, we arrived at a few
deserted fishing-huts, at a point where the river made a slight turn. I
never saw such an extraordinary show of crocodiles as were exposed on
every sandbank on the sides of the river. They lay like logs of timber
close together, and upon one bank we counted twenty-seven of large size.
Every basking place was crowded in a similar manner.
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