The ruined cities of Mashonaland: Being a record of excavation and exploration in 1891Bent, J. Theodore (James Theodore)
History
The ruined cities of Mashonaland: Being a record of excavation and exploration in 1891
Bent, J. Theodore (James Theodore)
Extinct cities -- Zimbabwe -- Mashonaland; Great Zimbabwe (Extinct city)
The tributaries of the Sabi River flowing near Zimbabwe have been
ill-defined on previous maps. The ’Mpopotekwe joins the ’Mtelekwe and
the ’Mshagashe flows into the united stream a short distance south of
Zimbabwe. This river, under the name of the ’Mtelekwe, then flows into
the Lunde, and not to the Sabi direct. The Tokwe joins the Lunde
farther north. The most interesting geographical work that we did was
on our expedition to the Sabi River, and on that from Fort Salisbury to
’Mtoko’s, and down by Mangwendi’s and Makoni’s country to Umtali. On
our journey to the Sabi we crossed a great many of its western
tributaries; and as the same streams rose near the waggon-road, and we
crossed them pretty far down their courses, we were able to lay down
their direction for a considerable distance with certainty. The Sabi
River itself, in latitude 19° 15′, we found was placed twenty miles too
far west in former maps; and from the information which I gathered from
the natives, in the latitude of Zimbabwe, it must be about fifty miles
farther east than it is placed in these maps. This river, where we
struck it, was a considerable stream flowing rapidly over a rocky bed.
It had fallen about 1,800 feet from its source near Fort Charter, and
had 2,700 feet more to fall before it reached the sea. When it has
received all the tributaries we crossed it must be a very big river.
Going from Fort Salisbury to ’Mtoko’s we crossed many tributaries of
the Mazoe River, which were either not shown at all in former maps, or
were most inaccurately placed. We recrossed these streams again farther
up returning from ’Mtoko’s to Mangwendi’s. I also got excellent views
of them from the various mountains which I ascended, so that I was able
to lay them down in my map with certainty. To the eastward of ’Mtoko’s
we could see the high veldt breaking into mountain ranges as it
descended towards Gouveia’s country.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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