The universal geography : earth and its inhabitants

—218 SOUTU AND EAST AFRICA.chiiiits, is gradiiully rising above the lower quarters devoted to the shippinginterests.The Zulus of the Lourcnno Marques district are described by Mrs. Pringle,who visited the place in 1880, as an exceptionally fine-looking race of quitegigantic stature. "Many of the women are over six feet high, and have suchbeautifully developed figures, that they would form perfect studies for a sculptor.Nearly all the hoeing and most of the manual labour is done by them. As thismust be very hard work, sooner or later it must kill any who are not naturallystrong, whereas those who can stand it have all their muscles fully expanded byconstant action. Not two of the men or women we met were dressed alike. Somehad their hair most elaborately frizzled, and all kinds of feathers stuck into it.Instead of a loin-cloth, they wore wild beasts' skins tied round their waists, with arow of tails dangling from them. Others again had their hair di'awn out in fineFig. G4.The LoriiEXfO Maeques-Peetoeia RjUlwat.Scale 1 : 5,000,000.E asL of breenwichAlternative Routes.strings and plastered with red mud, so that in the distance it looked like a headdressof red coral."*This traveller speaks in depressing terms of the extremely unhealthy climateof Louren^o Marques, described as a perfect hotbed of fever, and so deadl)' thateven horses cannot live there. A station of the Eastern Telegraph Company hasbeen established at Louren90 Marques. But one after another the unfortunateofficials in charge of it sooner or later fall victims to the climate. " Now they aretrying the experiment of sleeping on board a vessel anchored in the harbour, untilthey can build a station up on the hiU."tLourenco Marques does not lie on the shore of Delagoa Buy, but occupies thenorthern bank of an estuary which is developed on the north-west side of this extensivesheet of smooth water. Three rivers have their mouths in this commonestuary, which is nevertheless still inaccessible to vessels of the largest size. Themean depth is not more than 16 or 18 feet, rising to 24 or 25 during the springtides. But for average shipping the harbour leaves nothing to be desired, presentingfrom east to west an uninterrupted stretch of about 8 miles of good anchor-* Towards the Mountains of the Moon, p. 75.t lb. p. 77.