There was, as is the case with nearly every East African river,
a considerable bar at the mouth, which, no doubt, when the wind was on
shore and the tide running out, was absolutely impassable even for a
boat drawing only a few inches. But as things were it was manageable
enough, and we did not ship a cupful of water. In twenty minutes we were
well across it, with but slight assistance from ourselves, and being
carried by a strong though somewhat variable breeze well up the harbour.
By this time the mist was being sucked up by the sun, which was getting
uncomfortably hot, and we saw that the mouth of the little estuary was
here about half a mile across, and that the banks were very marshy, and
crowded with crocodiles lying about on the mud like logs. About a mile
ahead of us, however, was what appeared to be a strip of firm land, and
for this we steered. In another quarter of an hour we were there, and
making the boat fast to a beautiful tree with broad shining leaves, and
flowers of the magnolia species, only they were rose-coloured and
not white,[*] which hung over the water, we disembarked.
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