When they found a piece of gold,—literally a flake,—it was their custom to bury it again. This was due to a superstition that it was the seed of the gold. The value of the flake they knew very well, but they preferred to lose this seed rather than a full crop in the future.
It would be interesting to read more of Livingstone's stories of the Zambesi, but we must pass on to other topics.
CHAPTER XII.
THE DESERTS OF SOUTH AFRICA.
The deserts of South Africa, which include the great Kalahari, are, strictly speaking, savannas.
This section of what we might term semi-deserts lies between 20° and 30° south latitude. It is about one thousand miles long and seven hundred miles wide. The great Kalahari Desert is in the center of this vast area. Naturally, we should look for a variety of physical features in so vast a territory.
On its outer edges the desert tract of South Africa consists of broad plains. These are intersected by rugged, though not very lofty, mountains.
During the wet season these plains are covered with a rich, succulent herbage. This disappears, however, in the dry season. Under the scorching heat it is literally burned off, and leaves the ground parched and dusty.
At intervals in this territory may be found vast tracts overgrown with low bushes covered with thorns. These thorny bushes grow in such dense masses that the traveler is compelled to cut his way through them.