Page:Africa by Élisée Reclus, Volume 4.djvu/131

 THE LIMPOPO. 96 basin, which has now been thoroughly explored, is known to receive all ita waters from the eastern or maritime 8lo|)0 of the coast ranges. The Limpopo. The Limpopo, or Crocodile, which is the Oira of the old Portuguese maps, and which is known by many other names, such us Inha-Mpura at its mouth, and Moti, Uri, Hembe, Lenape, Lebempe along different parts of its course, is one of the grout rivars of Austral Africa, ut leust for its length and the extent of its basin, if not for the volume of its waters. Its further heiulstreams have their source on the plateau where the Boers have founded Pretoria, capital of the South African republic, some 320 miles from the Indian Ocean, but at least three times thut distance following all the windings of the fluvial valley. At first it takes a north-westerly direction, as if to full into the depresyion, the bed of which is occupied by Lake Ngami and other saline reservoirs. But after piercing the barrier of the Magalies range and forcing its wa}' through several other rocky gorges, it trends round to the north-east and then to the east, descending the inclined plane of the elevated South African plateau. From this tablclund it escapes through a feries of deep ravines, overcoming the last gmnite barrier of the Zoutpansbergcn by the superb Tolo Azim^ Falls, and at last emerging on the open lowlands through a number of narrow rocky gorges. Here it sweeps round* to the south-east and then to the south as fur as its junction with its chief tributary, the Olifunt (" Elephant ") Biver. Beyond the confluence it is joined by another flnvial valley, a long but mostly waterless wady, which ramifies north- wards through the Portuguese territory. Notwithstanding the number and length of its affluents, the Limpopo is not a copious river. It loses a part of its waters in the swampy tracts skirting both sides of its lower course, and reaches the Indian Ocean through a mouth about 1.000 feet wide, which is obstructed by sandbanks for a long way off the coast. Xevertheless Captain Chaddock was uble to ascend it in a steamer for 100 miles from the estuary. Penetrating through the southern channel, this explorer succeeded in crossing the bar against a current running at the rate of nearly 5 miles an hour. The channel was found to be verj- narrow, but corresjxDndingly deep, in some places no less than 24 or 26 feet. The river also continued to be generally narrow and deep, flowing through a low-lying level country, to within a few miles of Manjoba's kraal, which was the farthest point reached. Here it became hilly and well wooded, and was reported to retain the same character far inland. The trip was made in April, 1884, M-iih the ^aud, which appears to be the first vessel of any sort that had entered and navigated the Limpopo. Climate of South Africa. Lying almost entirely within the south temperate zone, the bamns of the Orange and of the other rivers traversing Cape Colony, Natal, and the Dutch