. Through the dark continent : or, The sources of the Nile around the great lakes of equatorial Africa and down the Livingstone River to the Atlantic Ocean. ur peaceful greeting. 1877.] A lUVEn AHMADA. 171 We were soon lielow the islands on our left, ami from acourse north by west the river gradually swerved to northby east, and the high l)anks on our riglit, which rose from80 to 150 feet, towered above us, with grassy breaks hereand there agreeably relieving the sombre foliage of groves. About 2 , as we were proceeding quietly and listeningwith all our ears for the terrible falls of which
. Through the dark continent : or, The sources of the Nile around the great lakes of equatorial Africa and down the Livingstone River to the Atlantic Ocean. ur peaceful greeting. 1877.] A lUVEn AHMADA. 171 We were soon lielow the islands on our left, ami from acourse north by west the river gradually swerved to northby east, and the high l)anks on our riglit, which rose from80 to 150 feet, towered above us, with grassy breaks hereand there agreeably relieving the sombre foliage of groves. About 2 , as we were proceeding quietly and listeningwith all our ears for the terrible falls of which we had beenwarned, our vessels being only al)out thirty yards from theright bank, eight men with shields darted into view frombehind a bush-clump, and shouting their war-cries, launchedtheir wooden spears. Some of them struck and dinted theboat deeply, others flew over it. We shoved oif instantly,and getting into mid-stream found that we had heedlesslyexposed ourselves to the watchful tribe of Mwana immediately sounded their great drums, and preparedtheir numerous canoes for battle. Up to this time we had met with no canoes over fifty feet. :.:\VANA NTABA CANOE (THE CROCODILEJ. long, except that antic^ue century-old vessel which we hadrepaired as a hospital for our small-pox patients ; but thosewhich now issued from the banks and the shelter of bends inthe banks were monstrous. The natives were in full war-paint, one half of their bodies lieing daubed white, the otherhalf red, with broad black bars, the tout enseml)Ie being-unique and diabolical. There was a crocodilian aspect aboutthese lengthy vessels which was far from assuring, while thefighting men, standing up alternately with the paddlers,appeared to be animated with a most ferocious cat-o-mountain sjDirit. Horn-blasts which reverberated from bankto bank, sonorous d-rums, and a chorus of loud yells, lenta fierce eclat to the fight in which we were now about to beengaged. We formed line, and having arranged all
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Keywords: ., bookauthorhenrymst, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, bookyear1899
