enormous bulk of his body, render him a very indifferent swimmer; in fact, he can only just swim enough to keep his head above water while breathing or looking round. His usual mode of progression, owing to the fact that he displaces a weight of water less than his own weight, is to run along the bottom. I remember seeing a herd of hippopotami trying to work up stream in ten fathoms of water: it was comical to see the bound and explosion with which they arrived at the surface after each dive — the greater part of which was spent in getting a footing at the bottom — having gained only some four or five yards during the whole time.

It was on this occasion of visiting Nyangwe in July 1893 that I found de Wouters somewhat awkwardly situated. Within the town a number of small Arab chiefs and vassals, who had