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Adventure with a Canoe

SPIRITED account of smasher." It soon became evident that the skill of the Afri- there was sound sense in the request of can natives in man- Tuba, though the reason assigned was given not unlike that of the Canoe man, who by the great explorer begged one of our party not to whistle, was because whistling made the wind come. afloat on the River It was the duty of the man at the bow Canoe to look out ahead for the proper course, belonged to a man and, when he saw a rock or a snag, to call named Tuba- Mokoro, out to the steersman, Tuba doubtless or the "Canoesmash- thought that talking on board might er," a rather ominous, divert the attention of his steersman at a but apparently unde- time when the neglect of an order, or a served title, inasmuch slight mistake, would be sure to spill us as he proved to be a all into the chafing river. most skilful and At times it seemed as if nothing could steady boatman. He save us from dashing in our headlong seemed almost to be race against the rocks, which, now that modest, for he took the river was low, jutted out of the water; no credit to himself for his management, but, just at the very nick of time, Tuba for his management , but, just at the very nick of time, Tuba attributed his success entirely to a certain passed the word to the steersman, and charm or medicine which he had, and then, with ready pole, turned the Canoe a which he kept a profound secret. He was little aside, and we glided swiftly past the employed to take the party through the threatened danger. rapids to an island close to the edge of more admirably managed.

Never was Canoe the great Smoke Sounding Falls , now did the medicine seem to have lost some- Once only called the Victoria Falls. This island thing of its efficacy. can only be reached when the water happens to be very low, and, even in that rock over which the white foam flew lay We were driving swiftly down, a black case, none but the most experienced boat- directly in our path, the pole was planted men can venture so near to the Fall, against it as readily as ever, but it slipped which is double the depth of Niagara, just as Tuba put forth his strength to and a mile in width. turn the bow off. We struck hard, and Before entering the river, says Living- were half full of water in a moment, Tuba stone, we were requested not to speak, as recovered himself as speedily, shoved off , we were requested not to speak, as recovered himself as speedily, shoved off our talking might diminish the value of the bow, and shot the Canoe into a still, the medicine, and no one with such boil- shallow place, to bail the water out. He ing, eddying rapids before his eyes would gave us to understand that it was not the think of disobeying the orders of a "Canoemedicine which was at fault-that had lost (14)