登陆注册
15416900000016

第16章

When we reached the foot of the mountain named Chipereziwa, whose perpendicular rocky sides are clothed with many-coloured lichens, our Portuguese companion informed us there were no more obstructions to navigation, the river being all smooth above; he had hunted there and knew it well.Supposing that the object of our trip was accomplished we turned back; but two natives, who came to our camp at night, assured us that a cataract, called Morumbwa, did still exist in front.Drs.Livingstone and Kirk then decided to go forward with three Makololo and settle the question for themselves.It was as tough a bit of travel as they ever had in Africa, and after some painful marching the Badema guides refused to go further; "the Banyai," they said, "would be angry if they showed white men the country; and there was besides no practicable approach to the spot, neither elephant, nor hippopotamus, nor even a crocodile could reach the cataract."The slopes of the mountains on each side of the river, now not 300 yards wide, and without the flattish flood-channel and groove, were more than 3000 feet from the sky-line down, and were covered either with dense thornbush or huge black boulders; this deep trough-like shape caused the sun's rays to converge as into a focus, making the surface so hot that the soles of the feet of the Makololo became blistered.Around, and up and down, the party clambered among these heated blocks, at a pace not exceeding a mile an hour; the strain upon the muscles in jumping from crag to boulder, and wriggling round projections, took an enormous deal out of them, and they were often glad to cower in the shadow formed by one rock overhanging and resting on another; the shelter induced the peculiarly strong and overpowering inclination to sleep, which too much sun sometimes causes.This sleep is curative of what may be incipient sunstroke:in its first gentle touches, it caused the dream to flit over the boiling brain, that they had become lunatics and had been sworn in as members of the Alpine club; and then it became so heavy that it made them feel as if a portion of existence had been cut out from their lives.The sun is excessively hot, and feels sharp in Africa; but, probably from the greater dryness of the atmosphere, we never heard of a single case of sunstroke, so common in India.The Makololo told Dr. Livingstone they "always thought he had a heart, but now they believed he had none," and tried to persuade Dr. Kirk to return, on the ground that it must be evident that, in attempting to go where no living foot could tread, his leader had given unmistakeable signs of having gone mad.All their efforts of persuasion, however, were lost upon Dr. Kirk, as he had not yet learned their language, and his leader, knowing his companion to be equally anxious with himself to solve the problem of the navigableness of Kebrabasa, was not at pains to enlighten him.At one part a bare mountain spur barred the way, and had to be surmounted by a perilous and circuitous route, along which the crags were so hot that it was scarcely possible for the hand to hold on long enough to ensure safety in the passage; and had the foremost of the party lost his hold, he would have hurled all behind him into the river at the foot of the promontory; yet in this wild hot region, as they descended again to the river, they met a fisherman casting his hand-net into the boiling eddies, and he pointed out the cataract of Morumbwa; within an hour they were trying to measure it from an overhanging rock, at a height of about one hundred feet.When you stand facing the cataract, on the north bank, you see that it is situated in a sudden bend of the river, which is flowing in a short curve; the river above it is jammed between two mountains in a channel with perpendicular sides, and less than fifty yards wide; one or two masses of rock jut out, and then there is a sloping fall of perhaps twenty feet in a distance of thirty yards.It would stop all navigation, except during the highest floods; the rocks showed that the water then rises upwards of eighty feet perpendicularly.

Still keeping the position facing the cataract, on its right side rises Mount Morumbwa from 2000 to 3000 feet high, which gives the name to the spot.On the left of the cataract stands a noticeable mountain which may be called onion-shaped, for it is partly conical and a large concave flake has peeled off, as granite often does, and left a broad, smooth convex face as if it were an enormous bulb.

These two mountains extend their bases northwards about half a mile, and the river in that distance, still very narrow, is smooth, with a few detached rocks standing out from its bed.They climbed as high up the base of Mount Morumbwa, which touches the cataract, as they required.The rocks were all water-worn and smooth, with huge potholes, even at 100 feet above low water.When at a later period they climbed up the north-western base of this same mountain, the familiar face of the onion-shaped one opposite was at once recognised; one point of view on the talus of Mount Morumbwa was not more than 700 or 800 yards distant from the other, and they then completed the survey of Kebrabasa from end to end.

They did not attempt to return by the way they came, but scaled the slope of the mountain on the north.It took them three hours' hard labour in cutting their way up through the dense thornbush which covered the ascent.The face of the slope was often about an angle of 70 degrees, yet their guide Shokumbenla, whose hard, horny soles, resembling those of elephants, showed that he was accustomed to this rough and hot work, carried a pot of water for them nearly all the way up.They slept that night at a well in a tufaceous rock on the N.W. of Chipereziwa, and never was sleep more sweet.

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 书语道

    书语道

    重情重义却总被情伤,博学多才却无名无姓,世道万千,却只能以面具示人,若文,一个不知自己来自何处的孤儿,无意中成为了世道应劫者,修心修身,再入红尘,体会人间百态,生死轮回,他要去寻找属于自己的世界,去寻找那一片人间乐土~~
  • 冰结镜界

    冰结镜界

    一个魔法家族的千金小姐,却被前世的爱恨情仇让她有了另一个自己,虽然她们的相貌一样,但是她们性格不和,一个单纯可爱;另一个奸诈腹黑,到底这两个人性,谁去......谁留,前世的恩怨是否能解开吗?
  • 送僧澄观

    送僧澄观

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 霸道女神进击演艺圈

    霸道女神进击演艺圈

    易飘飖,易家的大小姐,是一个不折不扣喜欢混影艺圈的女王大人,演技和颜值简直可以媲美影帝影后,最爱干的事:·玩她们家拥有双重性格的男票·整她们家面瘫狗·欺负她的私人经纪人·修理无良的一帮下属·奴隶她的各个哥哥·揍看不顺眼的人唔·····好像沾花惹草什么的也不错!
  • 幸福的契约

    幸福的契约

    新娘、新郎、酒席、亲朋好友……婚礼所具备的东西都有了,但缺少了一份最重要的,那就是爱。多了一滩血与一位女杀手,一位新郎爱着的女杀手。杀手来到婚礼现场祝愿新郎与新娘白头偕老,心碎得一塌糊涂。血,杀手带着血来到婚礼现场,那微微的一笑若隐若现。新郎追出去却没发现她的身影,只好紧握着手中她送的东西,喃喃自语道:“叶心,我们的约定你都忘了吗?”躲在角落的叶心落下眼泪:“忘不了,但不得不忘。”新郎能顺利偷到心吗?
  • 学院之完美蜕变

    学院之完美蜕变

    奚洪泽一个平平淡淡的学生,但他的蜕变是难以想象的。
  • 被遗忘的传说:女娲创世记

    被遗忘的传说:女娲创世记

    我们从哪里来?我们是谁?我们将去往何方?这不是一本普通人能完全理解的书,她探索的是未知的世界,她讲述的是一万多年前由女娲造人引发的故事;这是一段尘封的龙族血泪史,隐藏在古籍秘史中的传奇;她是万年神话、千古奇谈;在阅读中体验震撼、在不经意间获得新知、为你拓宽更加广阔的视野;这是一段万年前上古神与人共同生活的时代,一段被遗忘的历史,你未曾听过的神话;本书将为你演绎那一段段被遗忘的传说,翻开那一幕幕悲壮的历史。
  • 贴身任务:染指黑道总裁

    贴身任务:染指黑道总裁

    曾经,她是一个神偷,专门接一些富家人的钱前去偷东西,但是,一次的错手,也让她落在他的手中,从此,古若晴过上了生不如死的生活。遇到他,她幸运过,他让她变成了全世界所有女性眼里幸福的女人。遇到他,她痛苦过,他让她变成了生不如死的女人,身心受到了巨大的伤害。他优雅迈着大步走向她,居高临下的盯着缩成一团的她。“再敢逃,老子弄死你。”
  • 地心世界之冥王殇

    地心世界之冥王殇

    一名雇佣兵杀手在一次执行任务时,被抛尸于一口千年枯井之中,无意中发现了神奇的地底世界,诡异,光怪陆离的事件时刻挑战着他的心理极限。。。。。。冥之魂者,魂之殇者—冥王殇
  • 萌妻逆袭:总裁别倒贴

    萌妻逆袭:总裁别倒贴

    这本书是前一部《无良男神呆萌妻》的后一本。当然也是一个女生,从一个平凡人,变成世界女强人的故事,谁让他们......?总裁逆袭,谁能阻挡?我就是我凭什么要让给你?凭什么?你是谁?因为你上辈子是我上辈子最爱的的小猫,怎么可以脱离我的掌心呢!......再不济,我倒贴不行么?某猫表示强烈不满:怎么不可以,你已经是人夫了,缠着我干嘛!再说,我现在是人、人、人,是人好吗?我没倒贴,你倒贴个毛线球球。