, 1889-02-27

N&SO0S - - N4NA@ A0W y 0UI AK
palm wine. Perhaps, arriving thus far
the chAnnel of the stream has somewhat
narrowed and Swallowed, aud YOU have
exchanged the steamer for a steam launch
ora well-manned boat, or even-as [ hays
done so 0ftell-for - gool sized native
canoe, ia which you will be able to thread
more easily the channels of the river. and
relcn the limit of navigation. A~lternat-
ing between the thickly. studded villages
between tribe and tribe-will come most
Pheasant spices of solitude, where, owing
70 the CONSTANT warfare, which effectually
ulVlOeS each section of these savage DeO.
pies, there is all uniuh Lbite0 neutral
ground. Here YOU are alone with nature.
embarrassed By the presence of her n~oisiest
offspring, man. Here from the dense
green forest depths rings out the bark Of
tue cbimpanzee, and monkey families Jump
from tree to tree with - swish of leaves
and u cracking Of twigS. Rack aud white
hOrnblIlS, with raucouS cries. flap heavily
across the river, aud the lovely blue.
green'purple'crested plantain eater dOdg eS
your aim coQuettishly among the palm.
frOndS. Perhaps where the river ex Expands
into d broad pool, with an archiDel ago OF
golden SandbankS, You encounter q school
of hippop0rami, snOrting. yawning, splash.
sHSS sun O"NA" Al JO0 oIO III % VV0
ar canoe, YOU prudently avoid these Zero.
ciOnS BEASTS aud steer ~ closely as pos.
sible to the bank, because out of playful.
neS::Or spite, they would probably try 10
swamp your fEail craft but of course, in
a steam launch you can steer through the
midS of the herd without much fear of
reprisals. On the sapdhanks the yellow
grey crOcodlles lie peacefully asleep, and
close to them, about them, and around
them ARE groups of dainty, graceful
water-birds, who appear to have conclud.
ed Il pact with the crOco.diles that
1t they act as sentinels and warn
the sleeping saurlans of the approach
OF destroying man, on their part the
crocodile will abstain from eating their
graceful allies. That tue crocodile never
eats a bird is more than I can as.
sert, but this | do know is a most common
feature on African rivers and lakes. that
crocodlles and water-birdS are constantly
Setn in close proximity, and that the spur.
winged pl0ver and other birds perch ON
the crocodile's scaly back.
Gradually the river narrows, and the
banks increase in height, aud red clay
now gives place to Outcropping rock.
Looking interiOrwards beyond the vista
Of the winding river is The exhilarating
prospect of a faint blue range of hills. All
influence of the tide has ceased, and the
current becomes more rapid. It may bS
hours, or it may DO days Or weeks before
we reach the outlying spurs of the Rrst
ran SO Of hills, the frst ascent to the cen.
trail plateau. Before We arrive ut the &C.
tual falls which form an efrectual bar to
further navigation, there are many rapids,
more or less difficult to pass, aud in some
places one can see where an ancient bar.
rier of rocks has been WORN away. leaving
Oh either shore broken masses of stone.
like the relics Of some old bridge that has
disappeared. At length, above the chirp.
ing of cicadas, the rustltng of the forest,
and the monOtOnOus cadence of the boat.
mems song, rises a far.off bur persistent
sound like the noise of u distant train.
The native guide holds up his hand to the
chanting %paddleEs, and commands silence;
then after listening attentively he turns
to you and says, "You hear them noisea
Wedonecatch close them place where water
live for fall down." All expectation rs
you are, the windings of the river arc tan.
talising, but at length q turn in the stream
shows you the falls, which may be either
q disappointing ledge of grey rock marked
by u white line of water whore the river
descends abruptly one or two feet, or Il
beautiful series Of cascades, coursing In
many toaming torrents over a broad stair.
way of rocks. Here your water journey
comes TO all end, al d this is the limit at