I have been careful throughout to spell the native names in accordance with the rules laid down by the Royal Geographical Society. The sound of the Bushman clicks which occurs so often in the names of places and in the names of tribes derived from the names of places, but most frequently of all in the names of rivers, is slurred over by the present tribes, and represented by a combination of letters. As I know of no rule for the spelling of these sounds, I have represented them by an inverted comma and the consonant nearest in sound. In maps of Africa north of the Zambesi these clicks are generally spelt in this way, although the comma has often dropped out, as in words like ‘Nyanza,’ ‘Mpwapwa,’ ‘Mvumi;’ but south of that river cartographers have been less accurate, and have often used various vowels instead of the comma. I have used such mis-spellings of the native names only when they have been long established and passed into constant use: as ‘Umtali’ and ‘Inhambane.’

A point of interest in the remote history of the country and of the ruins which we examined—for the old people doubtless entered the country by this coast—is the growth of the land at the mouth of the Pungwe River and around Sofala. From about Sarmento down to Beira one passes over a low alluvial country which has been slowly encroaching on the sea for ages. I am sorry that in the rush to the coast I did not have time to collect data to enable me to form any idea of the quantity of mud deposited from the waters of the Pungwe in a given time, but its waters hold in suspension a [[395]]great quantity of fine clay derived from the decomposition of the granite in its basin, and this is deposited where the river enters the sea. The distance from Sarmento to Beira as the crow flies is sixty-five miles, so that at some period the road to the interior must have been shortened by this amount, and even in early historical times some part of the journey across the low fever belt would have been saved. The site of ancient seaports will now be far inland, so it need not surprise us that remains of these ports have not yet been found.

Owing to frequent absence from camp, I was unable to read the thermometer and barometer as continuously and regularly as I could have wished, but the readings which I did take give us some idea of what the climate at Zimbabwe was in June and July last year. We arrived there on June 6, after a week of south-east winds, high barometer, and rain and mist. The wind then gradually fell and the barometer with it, and we had three weeks of fine calm weather. The barometer reached its minimum on June 27, and at the same time the difference of the readings of the wet and dry bulb thermometers was at its maximum. The air was then very dry and the sky clear, with light north winds which were evidently local in origin, and the temperature at night fell below freezing-point, so that in the morning we saw a light deposit of hoar-frost. Immediately after this the barometer began to rise, there were light south-east winds, the atmosphere became moister, and on July 4 the south-east wind had increased considerably in strength, and some rain fell. From this time until the end of our stay at Zimbabwe, on August 2, the barometer slowly rose and fell, its range being limited to about three-tenths of an inch; and whenever the south-east winds blew at all strongly the barometer rose and we had mist and rain. We had during this period generally about a half-day of rain each week. [[396]]

At first sight it seems surprising that we should have windy wet weather with a high barometer, but we must remember that the only winds which can bring rain to Zimbabwe, at least in winter, are the south-easterly winds, and these, like all other winds blowing towards the equator, increase the atmospheric pressure. Zimbabwe is situated on the edge of a plateau about 3,400 feet above sea level. The country breaks down gradually towards the south and east and more rapidly towards the west, while towards the north it rises gently until after about 100 miles it attains an altitude of nearly 5,000 feet. The west winds, if they do blow, have to traverse the continent and the high country about the sources of the Limpopo before they reach Zimbabwe, so that they will deposit their excess of moisture for the altitude of Zimbabwe before reaching that place; and the northerly winds will tend to increase in temperature, and consequently in dryness, after falling from the high country towards the north; so that westerly and northerly winds will not part with moisture at Zimbabwe. The predominant winds in this latitude are the south-east trades, and they, carrying their moisture from the Indian Ocean, are forced to rise as they pass over this country, and they consequently expand and are lowered in temperature and so deposit much of their moisture on this edge of the high plateau. A similar winter climate seems to prevail in most parts of Mashonaland, the edges of the plateaux receiving most of the moisture. Manica is situated much nearer the sea than Zimbabwe, and the country there falls much more rapidly towards the east (it falls 1,400 feet in ten miles near Umtali), and consequently the rainfall there is heavier. Fort Salisbury is better situated for a dry winter, for it is in the middle of a high plateau, and the south-east winds will have parted with most of their surplus moisture for that altitude before they reach it. The driest time of the year in Mashonaland is from August to November. I may [[397]]mention that the greatest difference I observed in the readings of the wet and dry bulb thermometers was 24° F. at the ’Mshabetsi River, at an altitude of 2,140 feet, on May 13 at 2 P.M.; the readings being 64° and 88° respectively. At Zimbabwe during June and July the difference in readings varied from 0° to 20° F., and the dew point sometimes fell to 32° F. at midday. The extreme range of shade temperature in the two months was 46° F. [[398]]

[[Contents]]

APPENDIX B

List of Stations in Mashonaland Astronomically Observed, with Altitudes

By Robert M. W. Swan, Esq.

Stations Latitude Longitude Heights[1]
° ′ ″ ° ′ ″ feet
Mafeking 25 51 1 25 41 0 —
Ramatlabama River 25 37 57 — —
At Pan 25 30 13 25 8 15 —
Kanya, 11 miles S.S.E of 25 7 2 25 8 15 3580
Kanya 24 58 30 25 16 0 3750
Molopolole 24 25 30 25 21 0 4020
Molopolole, 4 miles N. of 24 21 30 25 21 30 3872
Klippan, ½ mile N. of 24 17 12 — 4020
Kurumurwa 24 8 33 — 3570
Khemi 23 50 8 — 3490
Boatlenama, 15 miles S.E. of 23 42 20 25 35 30 3540
Boatlenama 23 32 30 — 3400
S. of Selinia Pan 23 27 11 — 3120
N. of Selinia Pan 23 20 51 26 3 15 3050
Near Hataloklu Vley 23 15 4 26 10 53 3140
S. of Shoshong 23 8 47 26 19 30 3160
Near Shoshong 23 4 0 26 28 0 3310
At stream 23 1 57 26 41 30 3260
Near Mahalapsi River 22 57 41 26 51 15 3240
Chuloan Vley 22 46 0 27 6 30 3010
Palapwe 22 37 30 27 18 0 3150
At Lotsani River 22 32 45 27 21 30 2740
At Lotsani River 22 33 58 27 34 0 2480
At Lotsani River 22 32 37 27 46 45 2450
Near Elibi Fort 22 32 55 — 2300
Near Elibi Fort — — 2230
At Muralla Vley 22 32 55 28 10 30 2290
Makwenje River 22 26 56 28 21 30 2275
Pakwe River 22 15 20 28 24 15 2400[[399]]
Marapong River 22 7 38 28 31 0 2230
Matlaputla River 22 3 39 — —
Maklutsi Camp 22 0 42 28 38 15 2010
Maklutsi River 21 58 20 28 41 0 1870
Metsimachokwan River 21 49 55 28 52 0 1920
Semalali 21 53 2 29 0 40 2080
Baobab Spruit 21 53 17 29 14 0 —
Fort Tuli 21 55 20 29 20 15 —
Ipagi River 21 51 59 29 36 15 —
Sigabi River 21 43 53 29 42 30 —
’Msingwan River 21 39 7 29 48 15 1720
’Mshabetsi River 21 26 22 29 57 15 2140
Mount Yanda 21 21 57 30 6 15 2330
Bubye River 21 20 30 30 14 0 2090
’Nyamanda 21 11 34 30 23 15 —
Mount Host 21 9 10 30 30 20 2250
Near Nwanetsi River 21 5 16 30 38 30 1910
Near Nwanesti River 20 59 23 30 41 0 1880
Near Mount Ibonda 20 49 49 30 42 0 2130
Lunde River 20 41 6 30 44 45 1970
Near Naka Mountains 20 35 54 30 45 0 2130
’Mlala 20 27 9 30 47 30 2580
Tokwe River 20 23 5 30 53 30 2380
Providential Pass 20 11 11 30 57 45 3090
Fort Victoria 20 7 53 31 0 0 3380
Zimbabwe 20 16 30 31 7 30 3340
’Mshagashe River 20 3 40 — 3200
Makori 19 38 29 30 58 30 4200
Chekatu 19 38 49 31 3 0 4100
Gona 19 36 52 — 4350
’Msingana 19 31 30 — 3650
Kutimasinga’s 19 38 19 31 37 0 3250
Lutile 19 34 12 — 3600
Matindela 19 30 23 31 51 45 3350
Near Mount Wizinde 19 17 0 — 3250
Near Mwairari River 19 14 56 32 2 45 2900
Mukubu River 19 8 45 32 4 15 2700
Sabi River 19 7 40 32 1 30 2900
Ampsäi River 19 6 41 — 2950
Zamopera 19 0 17 31 39 15 3660
Mafusaire’s 18 56 26 — 3950
East of Smet’s Kraal 18 51 25 — —
West of Kwende’s Kraal 18 48 25 31 25 45 4220[[400]]
’Mtigesa’s 18 48 30 31 16 45 4570
Fort Charter 18 35 40 31 9 45 4408
’Mfuli River 18 18 35 31 5 30 4080
Near stream 18 10 15 31 10 15 —
S. of Hanyani River 18 0 22 31 3 15 4800
Fort Salisbury 17 49 30 31 4 15 4820
Fleming’s Camp, Mazoe River 17 32 48 30 56 0 —
Yellow Jacket Mine, ditto 17 28 32 31 4 15 4030
Madelaywa’s 17 48 30 31 12 0 —
Musungaikwa’s 17 52 33 31 20 15 5010
Nora River 17 55 13 31 29 0 4470
Kunzi’s 17 53 40 31 33 0 4400
Yandoro’s 17 47 0 31 41 45 4720
Bambabashla’s 17 40 30 31 48 0 4410
Mahume River 17 31 0 31 57 45 3420
Near Lutsa 17 23 30 32 9 0 3450
Near ’Mtoko’s 17 23 50 32 14 0 3900
’Nyandea River 17 32 5 32 8 30 3600
Nyamashupa River 17 39 22 32 2 15 3900
Near Mount Masunsgwai 17 50 12 31 54 15 4350
Yaungurukwe River 17 59 25 31 45 45 4700
Mangwendi’s P.S. 18 6 42 31 39 30 4870
Nyanger Mountain 18 15 20 31 46 0 4850
Chikamondi River 18 21 6 31 56 30 4810
Mount Ruanda 18 22 30 32 7 30 4830
Chipunza’s 18 27 30 32 10 15 4450
Near Chigono’s 18 33 50 32 17 0 4450
Near Yenya Mountains 18 45 0 32 22 45 3620
Odzi River drift 18 48 50 — 3420
’Mtasa’s 18 44 30 32 29 0 4170
Umtali, our camp 18 53 30 32 32 45 3600
Massi-Kessi (Portuguese camp) 18 53 45 32 44 30 2200
Mineni River 18 56 0 32 50 30 2140
Lusika River 18 59 27 33 2 0 2000
Vundusi River trib. 18 59 10 33 13 0 2000
Near Chimoia’s 18 59 0 33 20 0 2140
Zombana River 18 57 15 — 1930
Makumbese River 19 2 10 — 120
Vley 19 8 35 — 100
Mutuchiri River 19 16 40 — 50
’Mpanda’s 19 23 30 34 32 30 20

[[401]]