Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1858-02-04

/ 10 IL q uoClCoo tloSV VI SOuheiJ1 az AS' HehAS
denotes. Accompanied by Messrs. Oswell
and Murray, DR.. L., started for the unknown
regions on the lst of June, 1S49. All
round Serotli the country is perfectly fiat,
and composed of soft white sand The sky
is cloudless. A bright sunlight glares over
the whole scene, and the clumps of teees and
bushes are so uniform in size and appearance,
that no one can be distinguished from the
other 1t is remarkable fact that the
Glands, beautiful variety of antelopes, fed
around the travellers, where water was inac,
cessible to them. We here quote from the
volume DR.. Livingstone's remarks on this
curious fact:
HOTTENToT--woMEN RETURNING FROM
TIE WATER AND MEN ROUND DEAD
HARTE BEAST.
Here, though the water was perfectly in
accessible to Glands, large numbers of the
fine animals fed around US, and when killed,
they were not in good condition, but their
stomachs actually contained considerable of
water. I examined carefully the whole
alimentary canal, in order to see if there
we're any peculiarity which might account
for the fact that this animal can subsist for
months together without drinking, but found
nothing. Other animals, such as the du. ker,
(Cephalopus mergens) or putt, of the
Bechuanas, the steinbuck (Tragulus r,pes-
tris,) or puruhuru, the gemsbuck Oayx
capensis) or hukama, and the po' cupine
(Hystrix cristata,) are all able to subsist
without water, for many months at time,
by living on bulbs and tubers containing
moisture. They have sharpened hoofs, well
adapted for digging, and there is little diff
fculty in comprehending their mode of
subsistence. Some animals, on the other
hand, are never seen but in the vicinity of
water. The presence of the rhinoceros, of
the buffalo and gun (Catoblepas gun,) of the
giraffe, the zebra and pallah (Antelope
melampus), is always certain indication of
water being within a distance of seven or
eight miles but one may see hundreds of
Glands (Boselaphus), also springbucks Ca
zella euchore) and ostriches, which being
warranted thereby in inferring the presence
of water within thirty or forty miles. In
deed, the sleek, fat condition of the eland in
such circumstances, would not remove the
apprehension of perishng by thirst, from
the mind of even native. 1 Ibelieve, how
ever, that these animals can subsist only
where there is some moisture in the vegeta-
tion on which they feed, for in one year of
unusual drought, we saw herds of Glands
and Aocks of ostriches, crowding to the
Zouga from the desert, and very many of
the latter we're killed in pitfalls on the banks.
As long as there is any sap in the pasturage,
they seldom need water; but should trav-
eler see the 'spoor' of rhnoceros, or buff
falo, or zebra, he would at once follow it up,
assured that before he had gone many miles,
he would certainly reach water
On the lst of August, 1S49, they dis
covered Lake Ngami, a fine sheet of water,
the dimensions of which are not accurately
known. The natives professed to 60 round
in three days, travelling at the rate of twen-
ty-6ve miles a day, which would give seven
ty-Gve miles for its circumference; while
other opinions enlarge it for one hundred
miles. 1t is shallow, for subsequently saw
a native putting his canoe over seven or
eight miles of the northeast end it can
never, therefore, be of much value as a
commercial highway. The water of the
lake is perfectly fresh when full, but brack-
ish when low. In this region are many
rivers, whose existence was never suspected
in country supposed to be mere sand. The
banks of the Zouge are represented as beauti-
full, resembling closely many parts of the
River Clyde, about Glasgow, and the trees
which adorn the banks are magnificent
Here elephants abound, and new species
of antelope was discovered. The Zouga
contains ten kinds of fish, which the natives
spear with javelins. On the route the trav-
elers encountered most formidable insect
called 'tsetse.' 1t is not much larger than
the common house fly, and is nearly of the
same brown color as the common honey bee.
Its peculiar buzz, when once heard, can
never be forgotten by the traveller, whose
means of locomotion are domestic animals
it is we'll known, that the bite of this
poisonous insect, is certain dea:h to OK,
horse, and dog. A most remarkable feature
in the bite of the 'tsetsc,' is its perfect
harmlessness to men and wild animals, and
even calves, so long as they continue to suck
the cow.
DR.. Livingstone gives an interesting ac-
count of the native chief, Sebituane, of
whom he speaks as decidedly the best spci-
men of native chief Inever felt so much
grievcd by the loss of black man before.
1t was in Sebituane's territory that the mag
nifcent River Zambesi, in the centre of the
continent, was discovered At the period
of its annualinnundation, it rises fully twen-
ty feet in perpendicular height, and floods
fifteen or twenty miles adjacent to its banks.
Dispersed through the volume are interest
ing accounts of the the habits of animals,
and, as specimen, we have our authors
opinion of the character of the lion:
THREE LIONS ATTEMPTING TO DRAG A
BUFFALO.
Nothing that I ever learned of the lion
would lead me to attribute to it either the
ferocious or noble character ascribcd to it
elsewhere. 1t possesses none of the nobility