date-palms peer out in the forest, which consists of different species of
mangroves; the bunches of bright yellow, though scarcely edible fruit,
contrasting prettily with the graceful green leaves. In some spots the
Milola, an umbrageous hibiscus, with large yellowish flowers, grows in
masses along the bank. Its bark is made into cordage, and is especially
valuable for the manufacture of ropes attached to harpoons for killing
the hippopotamus. The Pandanus or screw-palm, from which sugar bags are
made in the Mauritius, also appears, and on coming out of the canal into
the Zambesi many are so tall as in the distance to remind us of the
steeples of our native land, and make us relish the remark of an old
sailor, "that but one thing was wanting to complete the picture, and that
was a 'grog-shop near the church.'" We find also a few guava and lime-
trees growing wild, but the natives claim the crops. The dark woods
resound with the lively and exultant song of the kinghunter (_Halcyon
striolata_), as he sits perched on high among the trees. As the steamer
moves on through the winding channel, a pretty little heron or bright
kingfisher darts out in alarm from the edge of the bank, flies on ahead a
short distance, and settles quietly down to be again frightened off in a
few seconds as we approach. The magnificent fishhawk (_Halietus
vocifer_) sits on the top of a mangrove-tree, digesting his morning meal
of fresh fish, and is clearly unwilling to stir until the imminence of
the danger compels him at last to spread his great wings for flight. The
glossy ibis, acute of ear to a remarkable degree, hears from afar the
unwonted sound of the paddles, and, springing from the mud where his
family has been quietly feasting, is off, screaming out his loud, harsh,
and defiant Ha! ha! ha! long before the danger is near.

Several native huts now peep out from the bananas and cocoa-palms on the
right bank; they stand on piles a few feet above the low damp ground, and
their owners enter them by means of ladders. The soil is wonderfully