The Blue River brings down the heavier portion of the Nile deposit, while the White River comes down with the black finely divided matter from thousands of square miles of forest in Manyuema, which probably gave the Nile its name, and is in fact the real fertilizing ingredient in the mud that is annually left.  Some of the rivers in Manyuema, as the Luia and Machila, are of inky blackness, and make the whole main stream of a very Nilotic hue.  An acquaintance with these dark flowing rivers, and scores of rills of water tinged as dark as strong tea, was all my reward for plunging through the terrible Manyuema mud or “glaur.”

26th December, 1872.—­Along among the usual low tree-covered hills of red and yellow and green schists—­paths wet and slippery.  Came to the Lofubu, fifteen yards broad and very deep, water clear, flowing north-west to join Luena or Kisaka, as the Lopopussi goes west too into Lofubu it becomes large as we saw.  We crossed by a bridge, and the donkey swam with men on each side of him.  We came to three villages on the other side with many iron furnaces.  Wet and drizzling weather made us stop soon.  A herd of buffaloes, scared by our party, rushed off and broke the trees in their hurry, otherwise there is no game or marks of game visible.

27th December, 1872.—­Leave the villages on the Lofubu.  A cascade comes down on our left.  The country undulating deeply, the hills, rising at times 300 to 400 feet, are covered with stunted wood.  There is much of the common bracken fern and hart’s-tongue.  We cross one rivulet running to the Lofubu, and camp by a blacksmith’s rill in the jungle.  No rain fell to-day for a wonder, but the lower tier of clouds still drifts past from N.W.

I killed a Naia Hadje snake seven feet long here, he reared up before me and turned to fight.  The under north-west stratum of clouds is composed of fluffy cottony masses, the edges spread out as if on an electrical machine—­the upper or south-east is of broad fields like striated cat’s hair.  The N.W. flies quickly, the S.E. slowly away where the others come from.  No observations have been possible through most of this month.  People assert that the new moon will bring drier weather, and the clouds are preparing to change the N.W. lower stratum into S.E., ditto, ditto, and the N.W. will be the upper tier.

A man, ill and unable to come on, was left all night in the rain, without fire.  We sent men back to carry him.  Wet and cold.  We are evidently ascending as we come near the Chambeze.  The N.E. clouds came up this morning to meet the N.W. and thence the S.E. came across as if combating the N.W.  So as the new moon comes soon, it may be a real change to drier weather.

4 P.M.—­The man carried in here is very ill; we must carry him to-morrow.

29th December, 1872.—­Our man Chipangawazi died last night and was buried this morning.  He was a quiet good man, his disease began at Kampamba’s.  New moon last night.