diameter; our engineer, knowing what ebony and lignum vitae cost at home,
said it made his heart sore to burn wood so valuable. Though botanically
different, they are extremely alike; the black wood as grown in some
districts is superior, and the lignum vitae inferior in quality, to these
timbers brought from other countries. Caoutchouc, or India-rubber, is
found in abundance inland from Shupanga-house, and calumba-root is
plentiful in the district; indigo, in quantities, propagates itself close
to the banks of the Aver, and was probably at some time cultivated, for
manufactured indigo was once exported. The India-rubber is made into
balls for a game resembling "fives," and calumba-root is said to be used
as a mordant for certain colours, but not as a dye itself.

We started for Tette on the 17th August, 1858; the navigation was rather
difficult, the Zambesi from Shupanga to Senna being wide and full of
islands; our black pilot, John Scisssors, a serf, sometimes took the
wrong channel and ran us aground. Nothing abashed, he would exclaim in
an aggrieved tone, "This is not the path, it is back yonder." "Then why
didn't you go yonder at first?" growled out our Kroomen, who had the work
of getting the vessel off. When they spoke roughly to poor Scissors, the
weak cringing slave-spirit came forth in, "Those men scold me so, I am
ready to run away." This mode of finishing up an engagement is not at
all uncommon on the Zambesi; several cases occurred, when we were on the
river, of hired crews decamping with most of the goods in their charge.
If the trader cannot redress his own wrongs, he has to endure them. The
Landeens will not surrender a fugitive slave, even to his master. One
belonging to Mr. Azevedo fled, and was, as a great favour only, returned
after a present of much more than his value.

We landed to wood at Shamoara, just below the confluence of the Shire.
Its quartz hills are covered with trees and gigantic grasses; the buaze,