were at Casembe's. Other Arabs, or rather Suahelis, must have seen it,
but never mentioned it as anything worth looking at; and it was only
when all hope of ivory was gone that these two headmen found time to
come. There is a large population here.

_13th January, 1868._--Heavy rains. Karembé mentioned a natural
curiosity as likely to interest me: a little rivulet, Chipamba, goes
some distance underground, but is uninteresting.

Next day we crossed the Vuna, a strong torrent, which, has a hot
fountain close by the ford, in which maize and cassava may be boiled.
A large one in Nsama's country is used in the same way, maize and
cassava being tied to a string and thrown in to be cooked: some
natives believe that earthquakes are connected with its violent
ebullitions. We crossed the Katétté, another strong torrent, before
reaching the north end of Moero, where we slept in some travellers'
huts.

Leaving the Lake, and going north, we soon got on to a plain flooded
by the Luao. We had to wade through very adhesive black mud, generally
ankle deep, and having many holes in it much deeper: we had four
hours of this, and then came to the ford of the Luao itself. We waded
up a branch of it waist deep for at least a quarter of a mile, then
crossed a narrow part by means of a rude bridge of branches and trees,
of about forty yards width. The Luao, in spreading over the plains,
confers benefits on the inhabitants, though I could not help
concluding it imparts disease too, for the black mud in places smells
horribly. Great numbers of Siluridae, chiefly _Clarias Capensis_,
often three feet in length, spread over the flooded portions of the
country, eating the young of other fishes, and insects, lizards, and