12th January, 1873.—­A dry day enabled us to move forward an hour to a rivulet and sponge, but by ascending it we came to its head and walked over dryshod, then one hour to another broad rivulet—­Pinda, sluggish, and having 100 yards of sponge on each side.  This had a stockaded village, and the men in terror shut the gates.  Our men climbed over and opened them, but I gave the order to move forward through flat forest till we came to a running rivulet of about twenty feet, but with 100 yards of sponge on each side.  The white sand had come out as usual and formed the bottom.  Here we entered a village to pass the night.  We passed mines of fine black iron ore ("motapo"); it is magnetic.

13th January, 1873.—­Storm-stayed by rain and cold at the village on the Rivulet Kalambosi, near the Chambeze.  Never was in such a spell of cold rainy weather except in going to Loanda in 1853.  Sent back for food.

14th January, 1873.—­Went on dry S.E. and then S. two hours to River Mozinga, and marched parallel to it till we came to the confluence of Kasie.  Mosinga, 25 feet, waist deep, with 150 yards of sponge on right bank and about 50 yards on left.  There are many plots of cassava, maize, millet, dura, ground-nuts, voandzeia, in the forest, all surrounded with strong high hedges skilfully built, and manured with wood ashes.  The villagers are much afraid of us.  After 4-1/2 hours we were brought up by the deep rivulet Mpanda, to be crossed to-morrow in canoes.  There are many flowers in the forest:  marigolds, a white jonquil-looking flower without smell, many orchids, white, yellow, and pink Asclepias, with bunches of French-white flowers, clematis—­Methonica gloriosa, gladiolus, and blue and deep purple polygalas, grasses with white starry seed-vessels, and spikelets of brownish red and yellow.  Besides these there are beautiful blue flowering bulbs, and new flowers of pretty delicate form and but little scent.  To this list may be added balsams, compositae of blood-red colour and of purple; other flowers of liver colour, bright canary yellow, pink orchids on spikes thickly covered all round, and of three inches in length; spiderworts of fine blue or yellow or even pink.  Different coloured asclepedials; beautiful yellow and red umbelliferous flowering plants; dill and wild parsnips; pretty flowery aloes, yellow and red, in one whorl of blossoms; peas, and many other flowering plants which I do not know.  Very few birds or any kind of game.  The people are Babisa, who have fled from the west and are busy catching fish in basket traps.

15th January, 1873.—­Found that Chungu had let us go astray towards the Lake, and into an angle formed by the Mpande and Lopopussi, and the Lake-full of rivulets which are crossed with canoes.  Chisupa, a headman on the other side of the Mpanda, sent a present and denounced Chungu for heartlessness.  We explained to one man our change of route and went first N.E., then E. to the Monsinga, which we forded again at a deep place full of holes and rust-of-iron water, in which we floundered over 300 yards.  We crossed a sponge thigh deep before we came to the Mosinga, then on in flat forest to a stockaded village; the whole march about east for six hours.