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EXPLORATION AND HUNTING

CENTRAL AFRICA

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EXPLORATION

AND HUNTING IN

CENTRAL AFRICA

1895-96

A. ST. H. GIBBONS, F.R.G.S

CArr. 3RD SAST VORKSHIRI SBCIMKNT

WITH EIGHT FULL.PAGB ILLUSTRATIONS BY C. WHYMPER
TWENTY-FIVE PHOTOGRAPHS AND A MAP

METHUEN & CO.

36, ESSEX STREET, STRAND

LONDON

1898

• .'1-/

231021

PLYMOUTH :

WILLIAM BKBNDON AND SON,

FRINTmS.

*. •••■ • •••,•• » ......

CONTENTS

CHAPTER I.

Progress of Empire in Africa — Want of means twice spoil plans—
Zambezi-Kwando confluence— Sesheke flats — Pookoo shot — Hippo-
potamus hunt, two bagged — Favourable impression of natives —
A large hippopotamus — His measurements — Sesheke reached —
M. and Mdme. Goy — Wilson's party and Lobengula's death — The
" Mokwai " of Sesheke — Her friendly attitude . . Page i

CHAPTER II.

An eight days' hunting excursion — Tsessebe shot — Wounded wilde-
beest escapes— Wildebeest shot — Unusual markings — Oribi shot —
Avaricious natives — Black&ced wildebeest shot — Oribi pookoo
and jackal shot — Two hyaenas shot — Exciting chase — Warthog
missed — Zebra shot — Buf&lo cow and bull shot — Two more
bnffidoes bagged — Girafie and eland — An abortive drive — Pallah
and aable antelope shot — ^A disloyal subject — Large herd of roan
antelope and of sable — Return to Sesheke 13

CHAPTER III.

Night watching for lions— Journey continued— Locusts' depredations —
Consequent £Eimine — Buflalo bagged — A series of rapids — Comical
native ceremony — Much game and spoor — Eland wounded — Long
chase — Roan antelope killed — Native mendacity — Wounded eland
killed by lions — In pursuit — Troop of five lions — Two bagged —
Narrow escape from wounded lioness 36

CHAPTER IV.

Elephants — Unsuccessful pursuit — ^A tough pallah — Futile rhinoceros
hunt — Lusu Rapids — Njoko confluence — Start up Njoko — The
Tsetse fly — Remarkable penetration of Mannlicher bullet — Herds of
lechwe — Game on the Njoko — Rampungu river — Native hospitality
— Fine reedbuck head — Victims of fisimine — Return to the ^mbezi 58

A a V

CONTENTS

CHAPTER V.

Camp illuminations — Illness of Lecharu — River jomey reoommenoed
— Wounded hippo.— Aggressive hippopotami— In teardi of meat —
An amphibious pig — Sickness among boys discouraged — ^The Lumbi
river — The Gonye Rapids — Paddlers' insubordination — Fight for
mastery — Gonye Falls — Chieft of Sioma — Refusal to sell com —
Mutineers repentant and forgiven Page 74

CHAPTER VI.

Boys' food finished— Buf&loes to the rescve — Charged by a woonded
cow — ^Three shot — A disappointed leopard — "No com, no meat"—
Borotse reached — Character of Borotse — The Marotse — A land of
milk — Strange letter from Uwanika — And reply — Captain Bertrand
—The ''Great" Mokwai— Her husbands— Nalolo— Zambezi fish—
Mokwai visited — Previous outrages on missionaries — " Cheques will
do " — Liwanika's reprimand 88

CHAPTER VIL

The Makololo — Their Chief Sebitwane — His conquests — The Mata-
bele worsted — The Marotse subdued — Subject tribes — Sebitwane's
death — Mamochiiane succeeds, but abdicates — Sekeletu becomes
king — Leprosy — Death — Marotse rebel successfully — Sepopo elected
king — Relentless cruelty — Deposed and slain — Ngwanwina succeeds
— Defeated and killed by Liwanika, the present king — Early
atrocities — Driven into exile — Once more in power — Reformation —
The extent of his country 1 1 1

CHAPTER VIII.

Liwanika's subjects — Their characteristics — Agricultural— Pastoral —
Canoes — Arms — Fishing — Cuisine — Fire-making — Habitations —
Method of defence— Superstition — Witchcraft — Trial and punish-
ment— Tobacco — Ornaments and charms — Religion — Salutes —
Clothing — Peculiarities of tribes — Marotse — Mabnnda — Makwenga
— Matutela — Masubia — Matoka — Mankoya — Mashikolumbwe . 121

CHAPTER IX.

Arrival at Lialui — Missionary conference — The royal residence —
Liwanika and his wives — Cordial reception— Misunderstandings
cleared up— A thief in the night — Ben the Matoka— Another chat
with Liwanika — His anxiety for the future— Unprincipled white
men — Good done by missionaries 146

CONTENTS

CHAPTER X.

Liwanika and liviq^rtooe — King Mttcdons Wf plans— An ethno-
logical oollMtioA— liwanika's gtogacflhy — ^A map of his country —
Farewell visit — ^A start — Rising ground — The Kande rivers-Duck
shooting — The Loi river — Source of the Lumbi- -Game once more 163

CHAPTER XI.

Matlakala sick — The Luena system — MatlakaWs aadaeky — A Indcy
shot — Matlakala gives trouble — The Njoko livec— Serumpunta —
Ifotive smithy — Schemes for delay — Even with Matlakala — Old
Rtapimgu camp — Seshdte reached— The missionary and the
pfinoess — Woman's status — ^A husband's cowardice — Presents and
royal remuneration — Murder of missionaries — Start for Kazungula
— Reproductive powers of crocodiles — Kazungula reached — "Victoria
Falls — Water buck and plover — ^A fine sable — Snake-bitten boy —
Poverty of ooHto— The Zambezi at Kazungula .... 178

CHAPTER XII.

Swimming oxen — Scarcity of porters — Down with dysentery — Start for
Mashikolumbweland — PkasMit country — Swamps and rela{>se —
The Umgwezi swollen — ^\\nidebeest killed — High ground at last—
Native devoured by lions^ — Delirious boy — A healthy plateau — Its
possibilities 305

CHAPTER XIII.

Christmas Eve — Warthog — Hofr to cook him — A Christmas koodoo
— A stormy day — On the Kafukwe system — Gluttonoiis boys —
Swamps again — Four hartebeests bagged — Making biltong — New
Year's Dl^p i896~Zebra and hartebeest shot — A warning for the
boys — Observation for latitude — Encouraging result — The Nanzela
in flood — Native bridging — Safe, but wet — Sezunga — Gruesome
sight — Sickness at the mission — Reputation of Mashikolumbwe —
The boys "jib" — A u revoir to my hosKs 219

CHAPTER XIV.

Sulky boys — A tough warthog — The boys give trouble — Lecharu
reported dead — Heartless comrades — Plain speaking — ^Waterbuck
shot — Porters abscond — Staflf of five — Two zebras shot — Lecharu
swoons — Leave camp with three boys — Inquisitive game — A fine
country — Well received by the ladies — Not so by the men — Unpre-
possessing savages— Variety of game — Fat eland cow shot — Natives
more friendly — Trifling worries — Arrival at Kaiyngu . 239

• •

Vll

►

CONTENTS

CHAPTER XV.

The Chief Kaiyngu — Friendly reception — Scene in the stockade —
Native music — Kafukwe river — Carnivorous ants — A lucky shot —
A "royal" hunt — His Highness upbraided — Kaiyngu's "little
game" — Secret of African travel — Bad news — A large warthog —
Exceptional pookoo horns — Kaiyngu's perversity — The river crossed
— Kowetu — Hospitable natives — Ma^iificent scenery — The Chief
Kowetu Page 262

CHAPTER XVI.

Muliphi still absent — Mashikolumbwe deceit — I smell a rat — Decide
to return to Musa camp— Request for boys — Kaijrngu prevaricates
— But finally acquiesces — Muliphi found — Hartebeest shot —
Muliphi waylaid — Mashikolumbwe abscond — Camp reached —
Pony's theft — Leopard killed by Lecharu — Camp struck — Wilde-
beest shot — A godsend — Mankoyas engaged as porters — Trouble at
N'kala — "Missy'' dead — An audacious lion — Muaanana — Hot
water springs — Slave for sale — Hartebeest bagged .... 288

CHAPTER XVII.

"The Hon is in the kraal" — Attack at night — Unsuccessful — We over-
sleep ourselves— We follow him in morning — The death shot —
The lion's measurements — Pony's perversity — A large congregation
— Start for Kazungula — Missionar/s wife and the flock — One bullet,
two pallah — Thieving villagers — Strained relations — Hyde Park in
Afirica — Threatened attack — Enemy routed — The deserters' tale —
Pony fever-stricken — Lags behind — Brought into camp . . . 308

CHAPTER XVIII.

Guinea fowls devoured by ants— A missionary's experience — Pony
left behind — Game on the Umgwezi — Two deserters — Trophies
recovered — Accused of murder — Value of native report — Value of
opinion of some newspaper editors — Rinderpest ravages — Bootless
— Fever at the mission station — Chat with Latia — Deserters to be
punished — An unruly ox — Unexpected bath — South African postal
negligence — News of England — Sesheke again — The slaves' re-
joicing— Liwanika and Sekome — Khama and Sekome — Return to
Kazungula — Messrs. Bagley and Kerr — The loaded cart . . 327

CHAPTER XIX.

Doubtful prospects — Bid £Etfewell to the Zambezi — Pendamatenka — In
the desert — Boys scheme delay — Pony absent for two days— A
" Europe" morning — A strange but welcome voice— Simpson and

• • •

VUl

CONTENTS

Walsh — ^A wild-goose chase— Simpson's generosity — Oxen lost for
two days and a half— The Chief Menu — Friend^ warnings mis-
construed — Pony caught red-handed — Pony flogged — Simpson's
retreat — Matabele in arms — ^A lucky escape .... Pagi 353

CHAPTER XX.

Accident to cart — Broken wheel taken on sleigh to Monarch Mines-
Prepared for attack — ^The manager's hospitality — Comforts of QviU-
ation — Return for cart — All safe — Pony deserts — Mr. Drake —
Matabele impi in neighbourhood — A scare— Arrival at Tati — A
poor creature and a practical joke — Degenerate Judah — Disease-
stricken koodoo— Pdapye and old friends— Post cart— Home by
Anmiel OutU'-Taa:^ 369

Appkndix I. The Country: Its Character, Climate, and Prospects 381
Appendix II. Big Game and its Distribution .394
Index 401

►

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

FronHspuc€, Photograph of Author

FACB rAGB

123

138

170 1

184

178 {

193 1
199

236
356
267

273 {
309

316

337
350 {

369
380

t»

»i

Masubia Paddlers landing Hippopotami

Giraffe .

Large herd of Sable Antelope

Buf&Io head

On the 2^ambezi

Charged by Wounded Lioness

The Gonye Falls

Charged by Wounded Buf&lo .

Dug-out Canoe

Masubia Village

Liwanika, King of the Marotse, &c.

Trophies

Matutela Blacksmith

Victoria Falls (i) .

(2) .

(3) .
»» »t (4) •

Waterbuck warned by Plovers

Mashikolumbwe and Mankoya

Game in Mashikolumbweland

Two Views in Mashikolumbweland

Kafukwe River at Kaiyngu

Native Huts

A Night Attack

Lion carried by Natives

Group of Matoka .

Matutela Women and Stockade

Herd of Zebra on Sesheke FlaU

Mission Station at Sesheke .

Masubia Girls at Sesheke Mission Station

A Breakdown on the Road

Map of Part of the Kingdom of the Marotse.

Stereoscopic Co.

Photograph by Author.
By Charles Whjrmper.

From Sketch byAuthor.
Photograph by Author.
By Charles Whymper.
Photograph by Author.
By Charles Whymper.
Photograph by Author.

i»
•I
II

i»
II

By Charles Whymper.
Photograph by Author.

i»

»•

»i

By Charles Whymper.
Photograph by Author.
By Charles Whymper.
Photograph by Author.

f»

»»

By Charles Whjrmper.
Photograph by Author.

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING

CENTRAL AFRICA

CHAPTER I.

THE land of the Marotse and the various
tribes in the neighbourhood of the upper
Zambezi, has for many years been regarded with
interest, while its mysteries have excited not a
little conjecture in geographical circles, but more
especially among the hardy pioneers of Central
South Africa. There, under the direction of
Mr. Cecil Rhodes, a marvel in the practical
advance of the British Empire had been accom-
plished; townships had sprung up; and such
was the energy and enterprise of settlers, that
within three years from the first organised
incursion into Mashonaland in 1890 few likely
districts remained unappropriated, and many
mining properties were in full working order.
As early as 1893 Marotseland was commonly

B I

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

mentioned in South Africa as the next country
for occupation, and many were ready to be first
there should opportunity offer. But the diffi-
culties in the way of individual prospecting
expeditions made the risk of failure too great
to warrant the expense of outfit. As is usually
the case with unexplored countries, the mysteries
of Marotseland were supplemented by exaggera-
tions in every direction ; gold and game
abounded, but the people were hostile and the
climate deadly. Even the 450 mile trek through
the Kalahari — trying as it is — had the reputation
of being very much more severe than is justified
by fact

At the commencement of 1893, and again in
;i 1894, plans which I had conceived of exploring

the then unknown districts bordering on the
Upper Zambezi, had been frustrated through want
of the necessary pecuniary means. In 1895 ^^^s
difficulty was surmounted with the result herein-
after described. It is my earnest endeavour, in
relating these experiences, to convey an unem-
bellished impression of the countries and peoples
concerned ; and I trust the reader will not be
disappointed when he fails to discover a "hair-
breadth escape" in each chapter, and will be
content with a production which, though having
no pretensions in the direction of high literary
attainment, at least aspires to honesty of state-
ment.

THE ZAMBEZI-KWANDO CONFLUENCE

With these few introductory remarks, I will
take the reader at once to the confluence of
the Zambezi and Kwando rivers, where three
"dug out" canoes had been placed at my dis-
posal by Latia, eldest son of Liwanika, para-
mount chief of the Marotse and subject tribes,
for conveyance of myself and goods as far as
Sesheke, where fresh boys and canoes were to
be provided for my further journey to Lialui, in
Borotse.* I felt thoroughly content with every-
thing and everybody, as the canoe boys chattered
and paddled with that cheerful energy usual in
natives at the commencement of a journey.
Everything breathed of peace. The intensely
blue sky cast its colour on the wide stretch of
clear water, which contrasted so pleasantly with
the 500 miles of sandy monotony and everlasting
bush in which the preceding five weeks had been
spent Not that there is anything particularly
striking in the scenery of this part of the Zam-
bezi. No tropical vegetation lends additional
effect to the picture, nor do broken crags or
distant hills give it contrast in colour. It is, in
fact, one of those scenes which could be more
effectively dealt with by the pen of the poet than
by painter's art. A noble expanse of transparent
water, studded here and there with treeless

* The prefibc Ma- denotes the people, Bo- the country. Thus,
Marotse, Borotse ; Matoka, Botoka have their parallels with us in
English, England.

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

islands ; a fringe of tall, matted river reeds, and
about a mile of plain beyond, with a background
of tree-clad undulations, make up the view to
right and left.

On the first night of my river journey — that of
July 2nd, 1895 — I camped immediately above
the Mambova Rapids, beyond which the river
winds for some ninety miles through the
Sesheke flats — in winter a plain, in summer an
extensive swamp. It was now winter, and the
Zambezi was nearly at its lowest, so that the
clean-cut banks restricted the view to the river
itself. There is, however, much of interest to
the naturalist here ; for countless flocks of water-
fowl congregate on the numerous sandbanks
which appear in the dry season. In places
thousands of these birds are to be seen in
every direction, some species intermingling one
with another on equal terms, while others confine
themselves exclusively to the society of their
own kind. Among the better-known species are
to be noticed the ibis, heron, pelican, stork,
plover, and crane. I also saw four species of
goose, many varieties of duck and teal, though
these wild cousins of our domestic waterfowl are
not nearly so numerous as might have been
expected. I subsequently discovered that they
prefer the grassy swamps of such rivers as the
Lui, Lumbi, and other tributaries to the big
river itself

HIPPOPOTAMUS HUNT

Leaving Mambova early the following morn-
ing, the boys paddled for about three hours, and
then put into the bank for rest. Hearing that
pookoo lechwe and reedbuck were plentiful in
the neighbourhood, I took my rifle and set out
for a short walk. The grass, however, was taller
than myself, and though I occasionally caught
a glimpse of, or heard, the game I had some
difficulty in bagging anything. I was quite
ashamed of the number of rounds wasted before
a badly-placed bullet drove a pookoo to take to
water and seek a safer asylum on the opposite
bank. In obedience to shouts from the boys
who accompanied me, three paddlers raced down
on the wounded antelope, and just succeeded in
assegaiing her as she reached land.

Towards four o'clock that afternoon the grunt-
ing of hippopotami a short distance from the left
bank, and coming, as I afterwards found, from a
long lagoon which ran parallel with the river,
tempted me to land. The lagoon was surrounded
by a dense fringe of reeds, and had it not been
for the hippo paths which ran through them in
all directions, progress would have been almost
impossible. So dense were these reeds that I
was only able to get a glimpse of the water at
occasional intervals. Half a mile of walking and
creeping through narrow winding paths and low
tunnels brought me to a small open space which
gave a view, about 120 yards distant, of the

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

heads of some seven or eight hippos. An
unsuccessful shot sent them all down below for
a few minutes. Shortly an inquisitive head rose
only twenty-five yards away, offering an easy
shot The hippo sank immediately, sending up
much blood. A moment later another head
appeared 120 yards away, where the animals
had originally shown themselves. A lucky shot
sent the owner down, though his reappearance
about three minutes afterwards showed that he
was only wounded. From the movement of the
water the boys soon detected the plans of the
wounded ** sea cow " — he was making a final effort
to escape from the narrow lagoon into the more
spacious depths of the big river. And now
began an exciting chase, during which the hippo
at intervals raised himself head and shoulders
above the surface of the water, opening his huge
mouth as he half groaned, half roared with rage
and pain. For myself I ran along the bank as
fast as I could, posting myself at intervals in
open places in hopes of getting in a shot as the
head appeared. A run of about half a mile only
yielded one shot, and that without effect. Thus
my quarry was only about thirty yards from the
big river, which, had he entered it, would have
very much increased the odds in his favour,
when chance brought me to an opening in the
reeds just as the head reappeared a few yards
away. One of a right and left entered his brain

FAVOURABLY IMPRESSED BY NATIVES

just above the eye, sending him to the bottom —
lifeless.

This was the signal for the boat boys to dance
round me in the very ecstasy of delight, for they
saw prospect of an abundancy of fat on the
morrow, to them the very refinement of luxury.

Of course it was useless to do anything with
the two dead hippopotami that evening, as these
animals remain below water for some six hours
after death. On the opposite side of the river
the banks were high and therefore more suitable
for camping, so I decided to cross and pitch
the tent in one of the small clumps of bush which
only rarely occur in the low-lying Zambezi
districts.

The experience of my two previous visits to
Africa had been limited to the South, principally
among the Bamangwato, an inferior, indolent
people, who cringe to the white man so long as
they see any prospect of getting anything out of
him, but show no gratitude when their purpose
has been realised. The cheeriness and activity
of my Masubia paddlers, and the careful regard
they had hitherto shown for my personal comfort,
had already suggested marked superiority over
their South African cousins, and an incident
occurred that evening which strengthened this
favourable impression. The canoes had been
tied, their contents had been carried up the
bank, and I was looking about for a suitable spot

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

for the tent, when the head paddler approached
to within a couple of paces of where I stood and
respectfully addressed me with the words lumela
fitate — greetings, father. I acknowledged his
salute, and he fell to the rear to make room
for the next to do likewise, and so on until all
eight had followed the example of their leader.
My three South Africans looked on with an
expression of amusement on their ugly faces as
they squatted on the ground waiting to be told
by me to do what my Masubias always did spon-
taneously, i.e.y to light a fire and pitch the tent.

The next morning after eating my early meal
I recrossed the river and proceeded to the scene
of the hippo hunt. Both the bodies floated
within a short distance of one another, the wind
having driven them to the near extremity of the
lagoon. It did not take long for the boys to roll
the smaller animal on to dry land, but their
combined efforts failed to move the larger one
when once the carcase rested on the ground.
I therefore took careful measurements and left
the boys to cut him up in the water. He proved
to be of abnormal size, and those white and half-
caste hunters who subsequently saw the skull,
in spite of the reputation they have as a class for
being able to " cap " everything, averred they had
never seen such a head. The body from snout
to root of tail measured fourteen feet and half an

inch, and the circumference of the head, taken

SESHEKE REACHED

midway betwixt eye and ear and under the chin,
showed nine feet exactly, and five feet six and
a half inches taken midway between eyes and
snout. The skull and the skin of the head and
neck were saved for my collection.

The whole of that day and the next were taken
up in preparing the flesh for drying into " biltong,"
boiling down the fat, which in the hippopotamus
excels in quantity and quality, and cutting the
skin into broad strips. The best waggon-whips
are cut out of ** sea-cow" skin, while the ''sjam-
boks " and walking-sticks made therefrom are
much valued.

On the following day, July 7th, I reached
Sesheke, and went at once to see M. Goy, a
Swiss Protestant Missionary, serving under the
auspices of the Paris Missionary Society. He
received me kindly, at once placed a comfortable
hut at my disposal, and insisted on my taking all
my meals with him and Madame during my stay
at Sesheke.

This mission station at Sesheke is pictur-
esquely situated on the banks of the Zambezi.
Not only the quality of the buildings but the
arrangements and neatness of the whole station
speak volumes for the ingenuity and energy of
the good missionary.

An interesting conversation with M. and
Madame, who spoke excellent English, helped
me much to mature my plans. One fact men-

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

tioned is well worthy of repetition. It appears
that four days after the lamentable extermination
of Wilson's party on the Shangani, M. Goy heard
through Matoka sources that thirty white men
had been killed in battle with the Matabele ; that
during the fight Lobengula was wounded in the
bowels by a stray bullet, but fearing lest the fact
might discourage his people, he told no man
of his wound, and moved about as usual (he was
not in the habit of moving much at any time) for
two days. According to subsequent reports the
wound grew worse, so he sent for a doctor, who
told him his time had come to die. Thus he
died, and was buried in a grave surrounded by a
palisade. I presume the latter part of this infor-
mation came by second and later messengers, a
fact which seems to be omitted from my diary, the
entries in which are as terse and brief as possible.
The following morning, having previously sent
my greetings to the ** Mokwai " or ruling princess
of the Sesheke district, I paid her a visit, accom-
panied by M. Goy, who kindly consented to act
as interpreter. A neat palisade of reeds bound
together and some ten feet high surrounds a
courtyard, in the centre of which stands an oblong
hut about thirty feet long and half that width. It
is neatly thatched with coarse river grass, while
the walls are constructed of cement made of ant-
heap earth and cow-dung mixed, and supported
internally by upright stakes.

THE MOKWAI OF SESHEKE

We found this young lady lounging on a mat
beneath a reed-built shade. She is about twenty-
three years of age, very black, decidedly present-
able in appearance and refined in feature. Round
each eye is a circular blue scar -tattoo mark.
The two front teeth of a pearly white row are
so filed as to form a reversed V. The wool,
allowed to grow fairly long, is well combed out,
thick and fuzzy, and in one side of it an ivory-
carved dagger is thrust. A coloured robe passing
over the left and under the right shoulder covers
her person. To this young woman, who is niece
to Liwanika, the ruling of the Masubia and a
section of the Matutela is entrusted, though her
cousin Latia has powers of direction in the more
important matters of government. A tall, good-
looking young Masubia sat next to her. He
bears the title of ** Mokwetunga," or "son-in-law
of the king," and is at once her husband and her
slave.

No sooner was the usual exchange of com-
pliments disposed of than she wanted to know
many things. Was I an Englishman ? Had I
ever seen the Great White Queen? Why had
I come to a country so far from my home ? How
long did I propose staying .»* and what did I in-
tend doing .^ Then came my turn. I told her
what I wanted her to do for me, and asked for
canoes and boys to take me to Liwanika, her
uncle. She said I should have everything I

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

Wished for, but that it would be impossible to
provide me with canoes for about eight days.
"Then/* I said, *' I will give you great thanks if
you will detail a good hunter to lead me to
where game is plentiful, so that I may hunt, and
not be idle while the canoes and boys are being
sent for." ** It shall be so," she answered, *' to-
morrow a hunter shall be sent to you."

And so he was, for next day my good host
came to me with the news that the Mokwai had
sent one Madzimani, the best hunter in the whole
district and an excellent fellow, to show me
where I would find much game.

Madzimani, M. Goy informed me, though
nominally a slave, had by his prowess in the
hunting-field and success in battle made for
himself a great name and earned the respect
of his fellows. Though subject to a Marotse
chief at Sesheke, he was himself chief of a large
village a few miles to the south of the Zambezi,
his subjects being his captives in war and their
progeny.

Note. — The important Zambezi affluent, which for some
200 miles from its source is marked on most — if not all —
maps "Kwando," "Kuando,** or "Cuando," appears in its
lower reaches as "Chobe" or "Linyanti," the latter with
more reason than the former, which name was received from
a passing Makololo chief, whose village stood temporarily on
the south bank of the river half a century ago. " Kwando,"
throughout these pages, is applied to the whole of this river
from its source to its junction with the Zambezi.

CHAPTER II.

ALTHOUGH it is not my intention to
bore the reader with detailed accounts of
ordinary hunting incident throughout this book,
a description of a short eight days' hunting
under the most favourable circumstances is not
out of place and may be of interest to some.

I was encamped in a small clump of trees and
undergrowth. The surrounding country was
open, though scattered here and there were
clumps similar to that in which I had taken up
my quarters, while occasional narrow strips of
forest subdivided the plain into sheltered glades,
offering shade and covert to the numerous herds
of game which but for traps and pitfalls knew no
danger at the hands of man. Nature reigned
supreme in this district ; its calm had never been
outraged by the disquieting appliances of modern
hunting, and the game cared little for what was
going on IOC yards away. In fact, centuries had
brought no altered conditions ; even man remained
as primitive as he must have been 2000 years
ago.

A plain about half a mile across lay to the west

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

of my camp, and on this a small herd of seven
tsessebe grazed unsuspectingly. The wind was
right, and I had crawled to within eighty yards of
them before they became aware of my presence.
Picking out the best bull I fired, the bullet enter-
ing his lungs. Groaning loudly the wounded
antelope attempted to follow the retreating herd,
then suddenly fell to the ground stone dead.
The remainder subsequently turned and stood.
Another shot wounded a second animal, but after
following for some distance and firing three times
I failed to bag him. In the dead tsessebe I
secured an excellent specimen, the horns measuring
14^ inches round the curve.

During the evening a snake caused a little
diversion by crawling over the legs of one of
the boys. In a moment all was excitement and
jabber ; the boys jumped about, grunted, and
struck wildly at the wriggling reptile with their
assegais, until finally he received his coup de grace ^
and all was soon quiet again.

The next day I was on the move early, but
had not gone far from camp when my presence
disturbed a couple of tsessebe drinking at a small
pan. They were very tame, but as neither
carried a remarkable head — and my ambition as
a hunter has always lain in the direction of
quality, not quantity — they trotted ofif unmolested.

A few hundred yards further the appearance of
a mixed herd of wildebeest and tsessebe led to a

EIGHT DAYS' HUNTING

•

Stalk and a shoulder wound to a wildebeest bull.
He and two others left the herd. The boys
took up the blood spoor and a five -mile chase
commenced, which ended in an excellent oppor-
tunity and an atrocious shot. Away they went
again, joined a herd of zebra and tsessebe, and
disappeared finally. Making a detour with a
view to returning to camp over fresh ground,
I passed seven tsessebe which stood about sixty
yards off, and watched me pass without attempt-
ing to decamp. A couple of miles further on a
few wildebeest and tsessebe were grazing in the
open plain. They had not noticed me, so I
decided to bag one of the wildebeest if possible.
Crawling along through the scant grass covert
for about twenty minutes, I got to within sixty
yards of the herd. On sitting up to fire the
game started off, but I managed to place a bullet
behind the ribs of a fine bull just as he was in
the act of turning. He fell in his tracks, the
bullet having travelled through his heart to the
skin of the chest. Although there are many
South African wildebeests (C taurinTis) in these
latitudes, there are still more of a variety be-
twixt and between Jackson's wildebeest and
the black-faced species of the South. A white
mane would convert this intermediate species
into C. Jacksoni^ or a black face into C. taurinus.
The specimen mentioned above had a white band
about two inches wide across the lower part of

«5

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

the forehead. This, however, is probably merely
a freak of nature. The horns were 21^ inches,
which places them high in the list of measure- ' '
ments among known specimens.

Leaving Muliphi, one of my Bamangwato
boys, to keep the vultures from the wildebeest
carcase until Madzimani should return with boys
to carry in the meat, I set out for camp. While
on the way the alarm whistle of an oribi drew
my attention to three of these graceful little
antelope bounding forward from a clump of grass
a short distance to the left. When about 100
yards away all three stood and looked. I fired
but missed. Following them up as they again
retreated, a second halt gave another opportunity,
and one was bagged. A herd of wildebeest
standing some 300 yards away evinced no little
interest in the oribi hunt, and only moved off
when the incident had terminated.

At camp natives from a village close by

awaited my return with a couple of quarts of

milk. For this I gave them about half the

tsessebe meat, and told them that if they helped

my boys to carry in the wildebeest they should

have half of that too. And yet, although meat

is one of the two objects of their existence, they

pretended they were underpaid for their two

quarts of milk and wanted calico also! On

being told that if they did not like meat I

should move my camp to some other village

EIGHT DAYS' HUNTING

and make its people fat instead of them, they
said no more. The African native is a born
trader, and seldom appears satisfied with a
" deal " until he is convinced that its terms
are final.

The next morning a lechwe ewe offered a
tempting shot at about forty yards; however, her
sex saved her, as she had nothing but meat to
give and the larder was well supplied. Later a
fine old wildebeest bull provided me with an
hour's exciting stalk and a good pair of horns.
He was of the South African species, which, to
the west of the Zambezi, is much more common
than the species of which I shot a specimen
on the previous day, which, however, predomi-
nates to the east of the river. Late in the
evening I wounded a reedbuck a few hundred
yards from camp, but he escaped in the long
grass ; nor was an attempt to find him next
morning more successful. That day I moved
camp to a place about ten miles distant, where
Madzimani had told me I should find giraffe,
eland, buffalo, roan and sable antelope, and other
kinds of game. While en route several herds of
wildebeest and tsessebe were passed, a mixed
herd of which I stalked with my camera ; getting
to within thirty yards I photographed them just
as they turned to leave. Another oribi was
also added to the bag. In the evening of the
same day I strolled out as usual in quest of
c l^

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

something new. It came in the form of a fine
pookoo ram grazing peacefully, and wholly un-
suspicious of danger. Two or three clumps
of bush and an ant-heap helped me to get
within sixty yards of the ram. He bounded off
on receiving a bullet in the shoulder, but after
rushing about for short distances in different
directions for several seconds dropped dead.
The bullet had passed through the middle of
the heart and out through the far shoulder. It
is by no means a rare occurrence for antelope
to run even two or three hundred yards with a
bullet of small calibre through the heart, but a
1 6-bore, such as I was using, makes a nasty hole
and seldom allows much show of vitality subse-
quent to a heart wound. As I proceeded, the
bush became thicker and buffalo and other spoor,
to say nothing of the tsetse fly, told me I was in
a neighbourhood carrying more variety of game
than had been seen during the preceding two
days. Just as I had commenced my return, a
jackal — also on the hunt — crossed my path. As
he turned his head towards me I took a snap
shot at him — a lucky shot which dropped him
dead with a shattered jaw. A few moments
later I fired at and missed a small antelope
about the size of a steinbuck, but which
appeared to be much darker in colour, in which
case he was new to me, as he certainly was not
a duiker.

EIGHT DAYS' HUNTING

As the sun showed himself above the horizon
the next morning the boys drew my attention
to a couple of lions moving slowly through the
long g^rass. Stooping down, I made a detour
under covert and placed myself unseen behind
a large ant-heap near which it seemed the
animals would pass. I had been concealed thus
not more than a few seconds, during which I was
congratulating myself on so good a chance
occurring at the very commencement of my
trip, when the two pseudo lions showed them-
selves within a few yards. To my disgust, in
place of the majesty of the lion I saw only
a couple of skulking spotted hyaenas returning
to covert after a scavenging expedition. I gave
the brutes a right and left, wounding them both,
but too far back. Perhaps it was just as well
after all that they were no longer lions, for two
wounded lions seven yards off might have placed
me in a tight corner; however, these two hyaenas
taught me one lesson — not to ignore my sights
simply because my game was within a few yards.
One animal bolted, but in doing so received an
ounce of lead in his hind quarters. The other
fell to the ground apparently lifeless, though
subsequent events indicated that he was more
frightened than hurt. I was looking in the
direction of his retreating friend when up he
sprang and went off at a heavy gallop. Sending
the rest of the boys to despatch the other, I

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

called to Madzimani and Muliphi to follow me
after the resurrected one.

It is hard to explain why I should have run
between six and seven miles over heavy sand
and under a hot sun after a member of the most
loathsome species of the canine tribe, but the fact
remains that I did, and enjoyed myself too. My
quarry was in view most of the run, and the line
was straight away for about an hour, when a plain
of three-foot grass checked the pace for quitp
thirty minutes. Here more boys came up after
having settled the account of the other animal,
and joined Madzimani in working out the blood-
spoor through the grass. At last a chorus of
shouts and disturbance of grass showed that the
hunted brute had gone away again. He could
travel just a degree quicker than Madzimani,
the keenest and fleetest hunter I have ever had,
but it was evident from the amount of blood
left behind that the boy would soon be able
to outpace the animal. With the rest of the
boys I plodded on and on for some distance,
watching the single figure getting smaller and
smaller in the distance, until it finally disappeared
altogether. I followed the spoor till I lost it,
and was compelled to wait for the other boys,
who had managed to place themselves just as
far behind as Madzimani was in front. The
rest was not unacceptable, for I was beginning
to feel that I had had about enough of it.

EIGHT DAYS' HUNTING

When the boys came up they took the
spoor and went away again, until on entering
another grassy plain Madzimani was observed
standing half a mile in front, frantically waving
his arms. On coming up he led me forward
till the hyaena sprang up and moved slowly off,
taking with him an assegai bitten off a few
inches from the left flank and protruding beyond
the right. Two bullets in his hind quarters
did not stop him, but I easily ran up alongside
and rolled him over with a third. The game
brute had made such a plucky bid for life that,
after photographing his remains, with the four
boys who were in at the kill, in rear, I saved
the head to remind me in years to come of the
hard run its owner had given me.

After a short rest an adjournment was made,
with a local native as guide, in search of water,
which was said to be **kokala," or far away.
Not very encouraging! for I would have given
a good deal for a long and effervescing beverage
at the time.

While passing down a long, narrow, open vale,
I sighted two black spots about 500 yards away,
which, on closer inspection, proved to be wart-
hogs. A large ant-heap favoured my approach,
but the wind was wrong, and on raising my
head above covert the pigs with tails erect were
to be seen in full retreat, nor did the one I fired
at respond to my invitation to stop.

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

From the valley the guide led the way
through open forest A mixed herd of zebra
and tsessebe had sought out a cool spot shaded
from the piercing rays of the midday sun, and
there rested and slept in seeming security. So
little alert were they that my approach to within
1 20 yards of the picturesque group was quite
unnoticed. A fine stallion offered a good
shoulder shot as he lazily plied his tail from
flank to flank, forbidding to the flies the peace
they would fain deny to him.

My bullet struck low, shattering the forearm

immediately below the elbow. Off bounded the

tsessebe to the left, while the zebra galloped

heavily away towards an open plain to the right

The wounded stallion for some time kept with

the troop, while I kept as near Madzimani as

I could. A mile thus, during which we had

been able to cut off two or three corners, began

to tell on the poor brute, whose near foreleg

refused to do the work of two. He was several

lengths behind his fellows as they bore to the

right at an easy canter. Seeing his opportunity,

Madzimani spurted, taking a line to the right

with the evident intention of heading the game.

I was soon left behind, and slackened my pace

as I watched my gallant shikari disappear from

view behind a rising mound, which for the

moment hid the hunted troop. I saw no more

of the chase until seven or eight came galloping

EIGHT DAYS' HUNTING

round the bend of the valley towards me.
Seeing the wounded stallion was not with them,
I took out the small hand camera which hung
on my belt, and photographed the troop as they
galloped past a hundred yards away. Next
appeared the stallion, struggling all he knew,
poor brute! against the cruel hand of fate. I
moved towards him with reset camera, hoping
to get a photo of Madzimani in the act of
hurling his assegai in settlement of his account.
But the hunter gained too rapidly ; a sudden
spurt, and he was alongside his game ; a
momentary check as he threw back his arm
with uplifted assegai, and in a short second
the blade was buried in the prostrate zebra's
lungs.

It is not politic to treat a native to more than a
superficial acknowledgment of merit, or he soon
attaches to his good qualities an undue and ex-
travagant value, not infrequently culminating in
the idea that his services are almost indispensable
to his master. I could not, however, resist slap-
ping Madzimani on the back and eulogising him
in English, not a word of which he understood.
Two hard hunts in one day had shown him to be
an indomitable hunter and a natural sportsman,
so unlike most of his fellows, who, like the hound,
hunt better when hungry, and immediately lose
the spoor if they see hard work in front. The

zebra had fortunately headed in the direction of

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

the water, which we reached three-quarters of an
hour later. Two or three ** pannikins" of tea
and a bathe were thoroughly appreciated, for
nine hours' continuous hard exercise under the
tropical sun has a very drying effect — internally,
at all events. Next day I did not hunt, and
in the evening moved my camp five or six
miles further west.

I had scarcely left camp on the following
morning when seven buffalo appeared about
1 20 yards off. A bullet struck a bull in the
shoulder, and all seven lumbered along into the
thick bush, apparently leaving the wounded
bull behind, for shortly afterwards he was to
be heard bellowing loudly about 200 yards away.
Madzimani, as I started off in pursuit, was
particularly anxious that I should go round
instead of following immediately on the spoor;
but I afterwards suspected that his object was
to miss the wounded animal on account of the
danger of hunting him in such thick covert.
After taking me further than I thought necessary
for the purpose, he pointed out a herd of three
or four hundred buffalo moving slowly along an
open plain. Describing a semicircle, I managed
to place myself unseen behind an ant-heap near
the edge of the plain, towards which the herd
advanced. As they passed about eighty yards
from me, I fired at the shoulder of a large bull.
The bullet, I imagine, struck him too far back.

EIGHT DAYS' HUNTING

However, be that as it may, the only apparent
effect of my shot was to suggest to his mind that
a neighbouring bull was directly responsible, for
he lost no time in resenting the supposed attack.
As he charged, his antagonist received him on his
horns, and an interesting duel seemed to have
commenced. Unfortunately the herd took fright,
and galloped off in a cloud of dust so dense as to
obscure everything but an occasional outline.
Away they thundered into the forest, myself and
boys following in their wake as quickly as our
legs could carry us. In about a mile they had
settled down, and were grazing and walking when
I managed, with the aid of an ant-heap, to get a
shot at about 1 20 yards. Off went the herd once
more, leaving a cow standing unsteadily with legs
outstretched and bellowing loudly. Suddenly
she rolled over quite dead. The hardened
elongated bullet, nine to the pound, had entered
the chest and penetrated through the heart. She
was a large cow, and the size of her horns, which
I could only see indistinctly amid the mass of
black surrounding her, had led me to suppose
I was firing at a bull.

It took about an hour to come up with the herd
after this, and when I did so the covert was so
scant that it would have been impossible to
advance near enough without setting them in
motion. I was compelled, therefore, to follow
at a distance for about a mile before an oppor-

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

tunity occurred for a closer approach. On the
way I nearly abandoned the buffalo for a herd of
sable antelope, which stood only sixty yards from
the line of spoor, offering a tempting opportunity.
However, I stuck to the buffalo, and was re-
warded with a magnificent bull's head. The
bullet fortunately struck him in the right place,
passing through the heart and bulging out the
skin on the far side. Measured between assegais,
with the hoofs pressed well back, I made his
height at the shoulders 1 5 hands 2^ inches, though
bulk, not height, is the distinctive feature of the
African buffalo. On my return to camp I was
told that the bull first wounded had been seen
in a dying condition by some of my followers
from a neighbouring village at midday. I sent
out a couple of boys to look for him. They
came back to say he was not to be found.
Probably he had already found his way into the
village cooking pots.

Next morning one of the boys who had been
left behind to cut the buffalo meat into strips for
drying, reported that a lion had been walking
round their fire during the whole night. I
returned with him and, on examination, found
lion spoor up to within six feet of the carcase,
close to which the boys slept. My first intention
was to spend the next night there, in the hopes
of a return visit, but on finding that the animal

had ultimately gone away on the spoor of the

EIGHT DAYS' HUNTING

herd, and as the boys were so convinced that
he would not come back again, I abandoned
the project.

Later in the day a single buffalo, standing in
some long grass 500 yards away," attracted my
attention. By the time this distance was halved
he lay down, and was hidden by the surrounding
undergrowth, which covered my approach to
within thirty yards. I then noticed a second
buffalo also at rest. He failed to rise after
receiving a two -ounce bullet. At the report
his companion, whose hind quarters had been
towards me, sprang to his feet, and in turning
round gave an easy opportunity for a shoulder
shot. Rushing ponderously in different directions,
snorting angrily and sniffing the air, he finally
stood about twenty yards from where I stooped,
waiting for a second shot, behind a scrubby bush.
The bullet he had received, however, had done
its work, for before I could fire again he fell
heavily to the ground with scarcely any further
movement. Neither pair of horns was worth
saving, a point being broken off" the one pair,
while the other belonged to a three-year-old
bull, and was not fully developed. I therefore
left a boy to protect the meat until sent for.

In the evening I strolled out in the vicinity of
camp, saw a nice pallah ram, missed him twice
and returned. The day after, a four miles' tramp
took me to fresh giraffe spoor. While following

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

it up two COWS and a bull went away in some
thick covert within ten yards of where I stood.
So thick was the bush that all I could see was
three heads towering above an intervening thorn-
bush. Nor could I get a view of their bodies till
I had run about 300 yards, when I came upon
them standing 150 yards off in an open glade.
Unfortunately, I thought at the time I could
make more certain of hitting the bull, which
towered above his companions, by crawling
through the grass for fifty yards or so, for my
heavy bullets, on account of the modified rifling
of the barrels, were only accurate up to 100
yards, and the soft lead spherical bullet which
I generally used was hardly good enough for
giraffe at 150 yards. However, a watchful eye
was looking down from a height of nearly
twenty feet, and I was defeated. Away the
giraffe went, only to be seen once again in the
distance. While following on their spoor, four
elands trotted across eighty yards in front I
waited for a standing shot but did not get one, as
they only stood once, and then 300 yards away.
Next a sable antelope bull rose a few yards from
me and galloped away ; an easy shot was pre-
vented by one of my boys getting between the
game and the rifle. Next moment the sable was
safe in the thick bush.

I was beginning to fear that in spite of excel-
lent chances I was going to have a blank day.

EIGHT DAYS' HUNTING

I was, however, to be spared this, for after twice
missing an oribi, and following him up, he ulti-
mately gave me a third shot at loo yards and
a pretty head with horns above the average.
Later on I missed a pallah ram, and one of a
herd of some fifty wildebeest ; and that evening,
as I smoked my pipe by the camp fire, almost
came to the conclusion that the time had arrived
to abandon hunting in favour of fishing with
ground bait.

Next morning an attempt to drive a swampy
plain below my camp for reedbuck and pookoo
failed. The villagers had fallen in as beaters,
but refused to obey Madzimani's instructions.
Accordingly I waited in vain at the appointed
place, finally going back to camp in by no
means the sweetest of moods, and to the dis-
comfiture of the delinquents, whom I found
squatting round the fire, but who very shortly
left in a hurry.

In the afternoon I sent a messenger to the

Mokwai, with promises of meat and a request

for canoes, and in the meantime resolved to

make a two days' excursion in search of hitherto

unsecured species. Soon after leaving I wounded

a reedbuck with a bad shot in the hind-quarters.

While following him up I got a shot at another

at about lOO yards, and a better-placed bullet

entered his heart. I sent the carcase back to

camp and proceeded. In the evening I found

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

myself in a very gamey-looking country, where
the forest was intersected by numerous vales
growing excellent pasture. I had passed two
herds of pallah, and had missed a shot at a nice
ram when a sharp turn brought me in sight of
some thirty more returning from their evening
drink to the shelter of the forest I got an easy
shot at a ram. The bullet struck him in the
right place and he fell dead.

Further on I sighted a herd of sable antelope
grazing on the open plain. While in the middle
of a stalk a native passing within a few hundred
yards put them to flight. It was improbable
that they would travel far, so I made camp at
once and set off with Madzimani and a local boy
in pursuit. After crossing a narrow belt of forest
a second plain was reached. A hundred yards
off about forty wildebeest enjoyed their evening
feed ; below a single roan antelope bull moved
restlessly about as though suspicious of danger,
while in the centre the sable antelope, about a
dozen in number, had settled down beyond a bed
of tall reeds.

First I paid my attentions to the roan, but he
had made up his mind to trek and walked slowly
over a bare patch towards the reed-bed. So soon
as he had entered the covert I bolted after him.
When once more in view he still held on with his
quarters towards me, while the sable to my right
showed no signs of alarm. Changing my plans

EIGHT DAYS' HUNTING

I crawled through two-foot grass until some sixty
yards only separated the game from myself. I
fired into the shoulder of the leading bull. He
turned and went away with the herd. Another
shot missed him and I followed as fast as my legs
could carry me. The herd then wheeled to the
left about 1 20 yards off. A shot at another bull
brought him down, but after dragging his tempo-
rarily paralysed hind-quarters for a short distance
he once more regained his legs and made off after
his companions. A quarter of an hour's run with
three shots and as many misses was the only
effort the declining light allowed me ; but the
animal was hard hit and I gave up the chase,
knowing that he would not be far off in the
morning.

In the meantime Madzimani told me that the
bull first hit lay dead on the plain. It was quite
starlight as we retraced our steps. The whistling
of unseen reedbucks in every direction testified
to their numbers. It was with some difficulty
that the dead antelope was found. H is head was
then cut off and carried by Madzimani into camp.

Contemporaneously with the rising of the sun
the bulk of the boys were cutting up the sable,
which had escaped the notice of hyaena and
jackal, while three boys were with me working
out the spoor of the wounded bull. Having
passed a very tame and inquisitive herd of
tsessebe, I disturbed the sables and a chase

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

ensued. The wounded animal, however, was
very stiff and was quickly left behind. A mile
run discovered him standing, but before I could
get a shot he was off again, for no great distance
this time, however. His hind limbs refused their
office and down he came once more. While
walking up to give him his coup de grace the
paralysed sable tried all he knew to get at me,
but beyond a series of threatening snorts and the
ominous movement of his sharp pointed horns, he
was powerless to protest and died accordingly.

At 3.30 I was again on the move. During
that afternoon I saw the largest herd of sable
antelope — some 300 — I have ever seen, and
herds of zebra, tsessebe, and wildebeest, none
of which I wanted, so I did not fire a shot ; also
spoor of giraffe and eland, each of which I did
want, but failed to get a shot.

In connection with these latter I witnessed a
scene between master Madzimani and a native,
who, with a small boy, was surprised while
abstracting honey from a tree.

** Where are the giraffe to be found?" asked
Madzimani.

** There are none."

" Then where are the eland ? "

*' There are no eland either."

*' I am Madzimani," was the rejoinder ; *' the
orders of the Mokwai are that the white man
shall be shown where the game is."

Ep„,,

)

j-^^

^^KS^

EIGHT DAYS' HUNTING

" I am not going to show the white man the
game," the native replied.

" But it is the Mokwai s order."

" What do I care about the Mokwai ! " was
quickly followed by active retaliation by Madzi-
mani, who seized his opponent's axe and threw
him to the ground. I ordered the boys to
separate them. They rose, but Madzimani held
the axe.

" Give me my axe ! " demanded the native.

** I will not," Madzimani answered, for he was
now very angry.

** But it is mine," persisted the other.

I thought it was time to put a stop to the
proceedings. I considered that Madzimani was
justified in resenting the disrespectful tone of the
native towards his mistress, and his refusal to
obey her command, so addressed the delinquent

"You have refused to obey the Mokwai's
order and to show Madzimani where the giraffe
and eland are to be found ; you also speak disre-
spectfully of the Mokwai. Madzimani shall take
the axe to her, and you can then go and claim it,
when I have no doubt she will decide between
you."

This ended the affair, and the native went his
way.

On my way back I missed a pookoo, and later
broke a reedbuck's foreleg. The remaining
three, however, were good enough to save him,

^ 33

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

and after a long chase he made good his escape.
On reaching camp I found a letter from my
friend M. Goy, informing me that the Mokwai
had despatched canoes, which the bearer told me
had arrived at the base camp. So on the follow-
ing morning I returned thither, passing a herd of
upwards of lOO roan antelope on the way. In
the afternoon I was once more on the river, and
reached Sesheke the midday following.

This terminated the only excursion made ex-
clusively for purposes of sport during the nine
months I spent in the Upper Zambezi districts.
So far as possible I have carefully recorded every
herd of game and ^single antelope seen, and
every shot fired, with its approximate range.
The nineteen head bagged included twelve
distinct species, while it will be noticed that a
better man could have secured five more species
in the same time, which I had hunted within easy
shooting range, but for one reason or another
failed to bag. It is unfortunately not infrequent
to bring forward the size of a bag of big game
as a test of comparison, variety and quality of
specimens taking quite a secondary place. How
easy it is for a very indifferent hunter to shoot
down four or five animals a day and wound three
times that number in districts similar to the one
described above, is, I venture to think, obvious.
Thus a large bag so easily secured, so far from
being a credit to the sportsman, is in some cases

EIGHT DAYS' HUNTING

very much the reverse. If all the quagga whose
meat was abandoned to the vultures and jackals
had been left unmolested, this species, so far from
being extinct now, would still be numerous on
the Transvaal Flats.

CHAPTER III.

IT appeared that during my absence a troop of
lions had nightly patrolled the district, on
one occasion actually entering the precincts of
the mission station. During the two nights prior
to my return they had unsuccessfully visited a
cattle kraal on the opposite bank of the river.
Hoping they might devote yet another night
to the same kraal, I crossed with two boys the
Mokwai had placed under my orders, and rigged
up a shelter of boughs against the scherm
surrounding the kraal. Running at right angles
to the schernii was a fence about four feet
from the wall of my hut, thus creating a blind
alley, at the far end of which was tied a kid,
whose duty it was to bleat at intervals during the
hours of darkness. At lo p.m. I retired to this
shelter, and made up my mind to a wakeful night
To reach the kid any marauding lion would of
necessity have to pass within two feet of my
rifle s muzzle, which was pointed towards a small
opening in the boughs, through which aim could
be readily taken.

And thus I sat on a native stool Hour

NIGHT-WATCHING FOR LIONS

succeeded hour, unbroken by even the yelp of
the jackal, let alone the Hon s roar. Mosquitoes
were very thick, and their music never ceased.
Smoking was out of the question, so I was com-
pelled to let them have their way. And so
things went on till about three o'clock, when the
alliance between the mosquitoes and myself
against the importunate demands of Morpheus
collapsed, and I slept soundly till sunrise. Then
I crawled out, roused the natives, and examined
the surrounding veldt. A single lion had ap-
proached to within forty yards of the shelter,
but seemingly suspected a trap, and decamped.

Hoping for better luck on the following even-
ing, I repeated the performance. Result as
before : worried by mosquitoes, overcome by
sleep, and neglected by the lion.

During my stay at Sesheke I took five obser-
vations for latitude, the mean of which fixes that
place in 17"* 31' 18" S. lat., some seven miles to
the north of the position hitherto assigned to it
on the maps.*

In the evening of July 29th I bade farewell to my
kind friends M. and Mdme. Goy, and was once

* I subsequently discovered that Livingstone's observations
place Sesheke in 17° 31' 38", about 670 yards south of mine, but
as that traveller observed from the south bank, while mine were
taken about 1 50 yards from the north bank, there cannot be more
than a few yards between the two fixings. Thus Livingstone's
original map would seem to have been corrected to the work of
some later traveller — Whence the inaccuracy on the maps referred to
in the text

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

more being paddled up stream. Three canoes
had been lent me ; the one in which I travelled
was four feet at the beam, and was manned by
five paddlers. It was about the largest **dug
out " canoe I have seen, and though comfortable,
was very heavy and slow ; so much so that two
boys in one of the others could go past it as they
liked. The boys called it **incubu,'' or hippo-
potamus, by reason of its ponderous proportions.
My new paddlers did not compare favourably in
personal appearance with those who had brought
me to Sesheke, nor, with two exceptions, were
they so adept in the use of their paddles. Camp-
ing early on the following evening, I went off in
search of meat, and returned at sundown with a
reedbuck.

For two years consecutively clouds of locusts
had infested this country, cleared the harvest, and
reduced the people to a state of famine in most
districts. In the neighbourhood of Sesheke,
however, the previous harvest had ripened and
been gathered in prior to the invasion of these
destructive little pests. I had thus been able
to purchase a certain amount of corn, but the
canoes were not capable of carrying sufficient for
the whole journey in addition to the loads.
Reports from the country before me were not at
all reassuring, native information serving to show
that corn was absolutely unprocurable. There
was nothing for it, therefore, but to feed the

BUFFALO HUNTING

boys as much as possible on meat, save the corn
for use where game was unprocurable, and trust
to Providence and my rifle for the rest.

In the early morning of August ist I was
encamped on the north bank of the river near the
native town of Katanga. The Sesheke flats had
been left behind, and the uninteresting, clean-cut
river banks had given place to high-rising ground
with a background of forest. The sun was just
showing itself above the horizon, when one of
the boys aroused me with the news that three
buffalo were feeding on the opposite side of the
river. I was soon ferried across, and went ofi" in
pursuit. The animals had in the meantime
entered a bed of reeds some eight feet high and
covering several acres, a place by no means
suitable for successful buffalo-hunting.

I left the boys at the place where the game
had entered the reeds, with instructions to
advance noisily after I had got well ahead. By
a circuitous route I placed myself among the
reeds at the far side of a small open space, across
which the buffalo might be expected to pass,
when they became apprised of the advance on
their rear. And so it was. After remaining
hidden for about five minutes a disturbance in the
reeds showed that I was in the right place, and
presently three bulls emerged at a slow, clumsy
trot about thirty yards from me. A shot into
the lungs of one of them, which carried a massive

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

pair of horns, separated him from his companions.
While they cantered heavily towards the forest
the wounded animal made straight for a second
reedbed a couple of hundred yards away, and
was shortly lost to view.

A wounded buffalo, five times out of six, will
charge his pursuers when he finds them within
five-and-twenty yards of him. In the open this
charge is not very serious to an active man
armed with a good rifle, and the avowed pre-
ference of sportsmen for the charge of a Hon
to that of a buffalo has always been a mystery
to me. Still, in reeds where the enemy stands
motionless until he hears his pursuers within five
yards of him he has everything in his favour
when he makes his charge, and I might almost
say the hunter who places himself in such a posi-
tion merits the consequences of his unnecessary
rashness. When I had satisfied myself that the
wounded bull had not left the reeds, which
covered a space of about three acres, I remained
to windward of the patch, and sent the boys to
leeward with orders to make as much noise as
they were capable of (which may be taken as
considerable), so as to drive the game if possible
into the trap. I had remained in my position
for about ten minutes ; the bull had shown his
whereabouts by making a sudden short rush
through the reeds, and the boys had lapsed into
silence, when I conceived the idea of visiting

FINE BULL BAGGED

my beaters. I found the group jabbering away
as usual, but not attempting to play their part in
the hunt. While I was rating them, however,
three or four fresh boys appeared from camp
headed by one ** Bushman," a repulsive-looking
nigger, but a good hunter. He at once volun-
teered to drive the buffalo from covert, so I
returned to my former position. Holding their
assegais in front of them, they advanced in a long
line towards the place where I had last heard the
wounded bull. Pressing their assegais forward
and down at each step of their advance, the reeds
were laid low and the ground behind them made
sufficiently open to allow them to retreat should
the buffalo break back. Looking down from a
slight rise I eagerly watched events as the reeds
fell in front of the advancing line, and bos caffa
must soon decide on his course of action. Pre-
sently a sudden sensation in the reeds, and out
he came, about sixty yards away, but going very
lame in front After I had run after him for a
short distance he turned and stood. A soft lead
bullet on the point of the left shoulder merely
sent a shock through him, but down he came to
the next, and the hunt was over. He carried a
magnificent pair of horns, which I saved for my
collection. On returning to camp I made a
pencil sketch* of the animal's head, with a view
to showing the true profile of bos caffa, as

* Reproduced on page 35.
41

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

naturalists in setting up heads invariably give
the buffalo a straight and even at times a concave
profile.

On the 3rd the Katimo Molilo Rapids were
reached. The name signifies " Fire extinguisher."
They are the first of a series of rapids and form
the first bar to navigation for some ninety miles
for any craft larger than a canoe. Canoes, how-
ever, are not even unloaded in the passage up
and down any of the Zambezi rapids between
Kazungula and Lialui. In fact, they never leave
the water except when passing the Gonye Falls
and the Ngamboe Cataract.

As is usually the case when rapids occur, the
beauty of the river scenery is here greatly en-
hanced by their presence. The banks are higher
and more broken, and the small tree-clad islands
lend * additional effect and variety. Two miles
beyond the Katimo Molilo the canoes had to be
forced through the Mosila-wa-Ndimba Rapids.

This name signifies **the tail of the cepa.'*
The cepa is a small species of wild cat, common
throughout this country. It is grey and spotted
with a darker and reddish colouring, and across
its tail is a succession of similarly coloured bars,
between which and the successive bars of rock
over which the river rushes at this place it is to
be presumed the natives see some resemblance.
The amount of elephant spoor on the left bank
of the river in the neighbourhood of these rapids

AMONG THE RAPIDS

indicated a favourite watering-place for these
much persecuted monsters.

While travelling the smooth reach above the
Mosila-wa-Ndimba Rapids, a fish which originally
would have weighed some four pounds floated
down stream on the surface of the water. An
occasional spasmodic flap proved that life was
not yet extinct, so I called to the boys in a canoe
behind to secure what subsequently turned out
to be three quarters of a fish only. About a
quarter of the after part of the body was missing,
and had been cut off as cleanly as though with a
sharp knife, while the concave nature of the
incision pointed to the fact that a crocodile had
been just too late for the greater part of his meal.
It is an ill wind that blows no one any good, and
in this case the proverbial tears would have been
shed less bitterly, I feel sure, had the disappointed
crocodile realised what satisfaction his partly
escaped prey was destined to give a humble
English traveller on the bank hard by. Fried in
fat the fish was excellent.

Not more than a couple of miles beyond the
Mosila-wa-Ndimba the river surface is again
disturbed by the Manyekanza Rapids. Immedi-
ately above these I decided to remain for a few
days. It was a lovely spot for a camp. The
river was some 800 yards wide, clear and
tranquil. To the left the water rushed between
the line of small islands and over craggy rocks in

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

its inevitable progress to the sea, a thousand miles
beyond. On the right the broad blue expanse
was calm and undisturbed save by the occasional
appearance of a herd of hippopotami, as they
watched and wondered at the operations in
progress on the bank.

The map of the Zambezi between Kazungula
and Manyekanza as supplied to me by the Royal
Geographical Society had proved to be far from
correct, according to the observations I had taken
during my journey. My fixings did not alter
the positions of the two places above mentioned,
but between them the actual course of the river
is in places as much as seven miles north of its
hitherto supposed course. On discovering this
inaccuracy I made a point of travelling slowly
and taking latitudinal observations almost daily,
so as to establish as far as possible the soundness
of the correction in the eyes of experts on my
return to England. Out of the seventeen latitu-
dinal observations I took during this ninety miles,
all but one at the time of taking appeared satis-
factory, and all worked in so well with the route
sketch as to leave no doubt in my own mind as
to the general accuracy of the correction.

Shortly after landing I witnessed a most
amusing ceremony, in which one of my paddlers
and a strange boy participated. The stranger
was either a relation or a great friend of the boy
in question, from whom he had doubtless been

AN AMUSING CEREMONY

separated for some time. Squatting down on
their haunches immediately in front of one
another, each held the others hands — left in
right — shook them, and gazed affectionately into
his friend's eyes for some seconds. Then with
the right hands the left ones were drawn, palm
downwards, to friendly lips, which half sucked,
half kissed the dirty black surface thus presented.
On the completion of this second stage they once
more looked intently at one another, and after
each had repeatedly gone through the form of
spitting into the others face they both rose
to their feet and jabbered away as usual,
apparently none the worse for all they had
gone through.

Early the next morning I went out with my
rifle. In following the river bank northwards
for a few miles I noticed a great deal of spoor —
elephant, rhinoceros, buffalo, and many of the
larger species of antelope. These animals,
however, are seldom seen in the immediate
neighbourhood of the river. During the night
they come down to water, but by the time the
sun rises they have already placed a considerable
distance between the river and themselves. Pallah
and pookoo were numerous on the banks (I was
going to say ** are," but, if native report be true,
the rinderpest well nigh killed everything seven
months later), while an occasional waterbuck
or koodoo alone represented the larger class

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

of antelope preferring the river bank to the
forest beyond.

On the 5th I shot a pallah in the morning
to keep the pot boiling while I was away, and
in the afternoon crossed the river with seven
or eight boys, my blanket, and a little bread
and tea. The local natives had told me that
giraffe were to be found to the south-west of the
river, and as they were the only species hitherto
not procured which did not exist to the east I
was anxious to secure one.

The sun had been down some little time, and
I had tramped about eight miles without the
encouragement of seeing even the spoor of
game, when I found myself only about 100 yards
from three elands. They were very intent on
their evening meal, so did not notice me till I had
almost halved the distance and aimed as best
I could, for it was too dark to use my sights, at
the biggest of the three. The bullet apparently
struck high, and he went away after his com-
panions, lame in front. It was impossible, for
want of daylight, to follow for more than a short
distance that evening. The wounded antelope
had already separated from the other two when
I halted and camped for the night on his spoor.
It was a beautiful night and the moon was nearly
full. There is something soothingly impressive
about these bright moonlight nights spent in the
open within the African forest. The heat of the

ON THE SPOOR OF A WOUNDED ELAND

day has given place to a cool freshness which
allows sleep with comfort, while the clear, dry
atmosphere on the great inland plateau permits
the reflected light from the moon to play so
brightly on the earth that artificial light is not
even a necessity in writing or reading.

By sunrise next morning we were again on
the eland's spoor, which now led in the direction
of the riven For twelve miles the cow — for
such she now appeared to be — was followed.
Three times she was viewed, but the bush in
each case prevented the possibility of a second
shot being fired with effect. It was then that
one of my boys pointed out a roan antelope
standing broadside on barely lOO yards to the
left. A shot through the lungs sent him away
very lame and losing much blood. I had almost
come to the conclusion that the eland had
enough life left in her to keep me going all
day, so confess to being glad of the excuse for
abandoning her spoor for the roan's, which I
could see clearly would not take me more than
a short distance. And so it was ; a half- mile
spurt, and a coup de grace added to my collection
a good pair of roan antelope horns, twenty-eight
inches from base to tip. The eland cow had
described a circle in her flight, so that the body
of the roan now lay within a mile of my last
night s camp, and not more than six miles from
the river. It was not my intention to return

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

to camp that day, so boys were despatched with
calabashes for water. In the meantime the
meat was cut up, and the bulk of it with the
horns sent off to headquarters on the Zambezi.
When the boys had returned with water, I
mentioned my intention of proceeding in a
direction to the south-west, having an idea that
I should strike a watercourse, part of which I
had explored on a previous occasion. The
African cannot conceive why he should not
remain inactive and gormandise as long as there
is meat to be consumed ; and, like the hound,
he hunts best when hungry.

"You must go that way, N'tate" (Father), "for
there is no water. There is only water in the
big river," interposed one of the boys in his
anxiety to return to camp.

"Yes," I answered, playing the game of
"bluff"; "there is water there. I will sleep
by it to-night."

" Ruri N'tate " (truly. Father), " there is no
water over there."

" You do not speak the truth. There is water
there," I answered, pointing in the direction
indicated as I rose.

In five minutes I was on the move, followed
by the five boys kept behind for the purpose.
After marching for about an hour, I allowed
one of the local boys who accompanied me to
take the lead ; and sure enough, as the setting

NATIVE MENDACITY

sun reddened the sky, he stopped at a dug-out
pit of milky-looking water.

" Did I not tell you there was water here,"
I said. **Why did you say that which is false?
It is not good to lie.*'

Not in the least abashed — for to lie is more
natural with these gentry than to speak the truth
— the boy merely agreed that I had been
right, and forthwith proceeded to fill the cala-
bashes. Half a mile further on I bivouacked
for the night. It was a gamey-looking country,
and at sunrise I set off with four of the boys
in continuance of the line taken on the previous
afternoon. I had gone about five miles, and
had already detoured to the north in order
to return to the bivouac over fresh ground. I
had seen nothing I wanted to shoot ; herds of
wildebeest, tsessebe, and zebra had alone shown
themselves. It was then that three women
appeared on the scene, each carrying a quantity
of meat. On approach the following character-
istic conversation ensued between Bushman and
the eldest lady :

" What have you got there ? "

"Qualater" (either roan or sable antelope)
" meat."

"You lie, it is eland," was the discourteous
reply.

**No, truly it is a 'qualater' which lions killed
in the night."

E 49

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

** It is not 'qualater/ it is eland" (which was
obvious) ; " the white man wounded it and
followed it yesterday."

These black Saphiras then acknowledged that
it was eland ; on which Bushman stepped
forward to claim the meat, for there is an
unwritten law in this country which gives the
meat of a dead animal to the man who first
wounds and hunts it.

"No," I interrupted, ** the women must have
the meat"

" But it is yours, N'tate."

" That is all right ; I will take the head only,
but the women must show me where the lions
killed this eland."

It is a remarkable coincidence that the dead
animal proved to be actually the eland I had
followed on the previous day, and curiously
enough her spoor showed that she had passed
within 200 yards of where I slept the night
before, a distance of six or seven miles from
the point where I shot the roan antelope, and
finally, as I thought, gave up the eland.

Squatting down near the remnants that re-
mained was a tall, gaunt old native, who guarded
the meat till the women should return to carry
it away. Here the customs imposed by civiliza-
tion are reversed. The men are the drones,
while the ladies do the work. This enhances
their value to such an extent that the daughter

WOUNDED ELAND KILLED BY LIONS

of a freeman can rarely be procured without the
extravagant payment of at least five cows. A
chiefs daughter of course is still more expensive.
In fact, whereas we write £ s. d., the native
African will calculate his wealth under the
headings of women, cattle, goats.

" Lions killed this eland ? " I asked of the tall,
gaunt native.

"Yes, N'tate."

** Where are the lions then? They must be
sleeping close by."

"Yes, they sleep there," and he pointed into
the forest.

It is not an easy thing to induce boys to
take up the spoor of a troop of lions until they
have learnt that their master is equal to the
occasion at the critical moment. Very naturally
these unsophisticated hunters, who have only
assegais to depend on for defence, look upon the
king of cats with a very extreme respect. I
determined therefore to try to bribe away this
natural caution.

" If you will show me the lions, I will give
you a sitziba."

At this prospect of wealth the squatting en-
tanglement of black limbs unwrapped itself,
and in a moment the boy sprang to his feet
with the alacrity of a jack-in-the-box. In vain
the paddler Bushman endeavoured to dissuade
him from his purpose. I heard more than I

5»

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

was intended to. But what were the lions to
him with a whole sitziba in view! Seven feet
of unbleached calico, value 2^cl. a yard in
England! No wonder he turned a deaf ear
to Bushman s whispered cautions.

While tracing back the spoor from the carcase,
the events of the last moments of the wounded
cow s life were to be read as clearly as if in print.
A large and small spoor showed how a lion and
lioness followed stealthily for some distance the
unsuspecting eland. Suddenly she became ap-
prised of the danger of her position, and
galloped off as fast as her lamed shoulder
would permit Instantly the lion made a spurt,
gained on his quarry, and with three mighty
bounds sprang on his helpless prey, which carried
him some thirty yards before she fell.

Asking me to remain where I was with my
boys, the tall gaunt one disappeared into the
forest to reconnoitre. In five minutes he was to
be seen running back and excitedly waving his
arms as he said in suppressed tones :

'* The lions are there, the lions are there ! "

** All right, lead me to them, and you shall
have your sitziba."

We walked quickly through the forest for
about a quarter of a mile ; the native then took
up the spoor, while I kept my eyes well to the
front as we advanced.

The forest was admirably adapted for the

IN PURSUIT OF LIONS

purpose. Scarcely any undergrowth obstructed
the view. Thus I suddenly caught sight of
a single lion moving slowly away about 400
yards in front. Calling the boys* attention
to him I followed at a good double, and had
gained perhaps 100 yards when five lions ap-
peared lobbing along slowly towards a strip
of tall grass, about seventy yards long by thirty
broad. As I came in view they turned their heads
towards me for a moment, continuing their course
as before, so that by the time they reached the
grass about 150 yards separated us. Whether
they meant to take covert, or to continue their
dignified retreat beyond the patch, remained to
be seen. Somehow I suspected the latter course,
so ran all I knew for the rest of the way in
the hopes of heading them. I was just in time,
for as I reached the further extremity of the
g^rass, the five lions broke covert within ten
yards of me. Their bellies were distended
with eland meat, and they walked lazily on in
a direction three-quarters left about from me,
without even deigning to turn their heads. I
was even beginning to suspect that my presence
was unnoticed, and waited quietly till thirty
yards should separate us before commencing
the attack. Twenty paces from me, however,
the big lion of the party stood, turned partly
round, and with head erect and what little mane
he possessed electrified, as it were, looked stead-

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

fastly in my direction as I knelt and aimed well
forward at the shoulder. I must acknowledge
that a thrill of admiration passed through me.
The animal looked all that dignity and bold
magnificence which of late years some would
fain deny to his species. I must, however,
confess to never having heard a hunter of
experience generalise in speaking of the lion
as a cur. As I fired he rolled over, nor did
the remaining four so much as turn their heads
or quicken their pace. Not being quite dead,
and thinking the wound might not have deprived
him of the power of temporary recovery and its
possible consequences, I finished him with a
bullet from the left barrel. This time a lioness
turned suddenly round, galloped back, and stood
immediately behind her sires now motionless
carcase, looking in the direction of his slaughterer.
Aiming at the point of her shoulder — her body
was only turned half towards me — I fired. For
the next few seconds an occasional oudine of
the lioness was all that could be seen of her,
as she threw herself violently about in the dust,
growling and tearing at her Bank. I glanced
at the remaining three as they continued their
course with the same lazy gait Anxious that
they should not get too far away, I took a
snap shot at the struggling lioness, hoping to
kill her and leave her for the present The
bullet, however, entered too far back, and merely

CHARGED BY A LIONESS

had the effect of resuscitating her, for she
immediately rose and trotted away to covert.
It was then that the boys came up. They
showed more activity of movement a few
moments later. Muliphi took the spoor, but
in a few yards he stopped.

** There is the lioness, Baas."

I looked in vain. ''Where?" I asked.

" There she is. Baas, close to.'*

I lowered my line of sight, having expected to
see her retreating through the forest some 300
yards ahead. What subsequently turned out to
be thirty-four yards separated us from a low,
scrubby bush. Behind this bush the lioness stood,
broadside on, eyeing me with lowered head and
fallen jaw, and looking very ugly indeed. I was
in the act of moving off to the right, so as to
get a better shot, when crash she came right
through the bush and straight for me, giving
utterance to low, deep growls. She had halved
the distance when I fired the right barrel. The
bullet, as I afterwards found, missed the chest,
passing through the fleshy part of the right
thigh, clearing the bone, and not even laming
her. There was nothing for it but to make
a certainty with my left barrel, so I determined
to hold fire until she was sufficiently near to
make a miss all but impossible. She was four
or five feet from the muzzle of my rifle when I
pulled the trigger. I sprang back immediately,

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

and it is perhaps fortunate I did so, for as I
lighted the lioness fell dead at my feet, her right
paw passing within a few inches of my left knee
as she finished her final bound.

The excitement over, I had leisure to take in
the ridiculous aspect of the scene. On looking
round for the boys who a few seconds pre-
viously were immediately behind me, six were
to be seen thirty yards to the rear, leaning
on their assegais and looking for all the world
as though they had been in the same position
for the past quarter of an hour ; while my
Bamangwato boy, Muliphi, was in the act of
crawling from underneath a small bush, with an
expression of extreme horror written on his
ugly black face. Afterwards I asked my gallant
followers what they would have done had I
missed the lioness and she had got me down.

** Oh, we would have assegaied her," was the
matter of fact reply.

** You ran away so as to be ready, I suppose."
'* Oh, but we would have come back again."
The bad shot I had made at the lioness in the
first instance had unfortunately caused sufficient
delay to considerably increase the distance
between the remaining three and myself. How-
ever, I caught sight of one of them some 400
yards away, walking through the forest. I ran
after him, calling on the boys to follow.
** Let them alone, N'tate."

ANNOYING CONDUCT OF BOYS

" Two are enough."

"They will kill you." were at first the only
responses. However, they came up very shortly
after I reached the spot where I had last seen
the retreating. Hon.

Then leaving the spooring to the boys, I kept
my eyes well to the front, as is usual. After
following for about half a mile I began to wonder
why I had not even caught a glimpse of the trio,
and it occurred to me to look at the spoor. But
lo! to my annoyance there was none. The
rascals had deliberately led me off the track.
When I rated them for their cowardice, they
did not seem to mind. Their object had been
attained, and the lions, before I could again come
up with them, had reached a large plain of long
grass from which it would have been impossible
to evict them.

Thus baffled I returned to the dead lion and
lioness, measured them carefully, and super-
intended the skinning. They were both good
specimens in coat and size, though the lion was
all but maneless. His measurements were 38^
inches at the shoulder, taken between vertically
placed assegais, the one at the shoulder and the
other in contact with the pads of both feet
pressed forward as in standing position. His
pegged-out skin was 10 ft. 3 in. The lioness's
measurements were 37f in. and 9 ft respectively.

CHAPTER IV.

A FEW days later, having previously men-
tioned my intentions of hunting elephant,
I ordered the boys to fill the calabashes with
water, purposing to sleep some miles from the
river that night, and if possible to get among
the elephants in the morning.

They sullenly remained seated. I suspect
that, although permission had been given to
shoot elephants, their instructions were to keep
me away from these animals if possible.

"We do not know the country/' they pro-
tested.

** That matters little ; we take water with us ;
I will go first, you shall follow."

Still showing no inclination to obey, I ordered
my three South African boys to get ready and
accompany me. To the others I said :

**And as for you, if you do not follow me
I will send you all back to the Mokwai, and you
shall take a letter to her from me. I shall wait
here till other boys are sent who shall take me
to Liwanika."

This threat was enough : they followed, and

UNSUCCESSFUL ELEPHANT HUNT

we camped that evening about six miles from
the river.

Very shortly after sunrise the boys were
working out the spoor of a large bull elephant,
and continued to do so till about an hour
before sundown, when they got on to a fresh
bull by mistake at a place where the ground had
been trampled down in every direction by a
herd. Once he was heard trumpeting about
a quarter of a mile off, but we never came up
with him. Just after sunset I fired at a pallah
ram with a Mannlicher. The buck went off
apparently unhurt, disappearing over the brow
of a hillock in front. One of the boys found
his carcase quite by chance as we descended the
slope. The small Mannlicher bullet had entered
the chest, passed through both heart and liver,
and out behind the ribs, yet with this wound
the antelope had run quite 200 yards before
he fell.

The next few days brought nothing of interest.
Enough was shot to provide the boys with
meat, and a six hours' chase after a rhinoceros
was unsuccessful. On the 14th August we con-
tinued the journey and reached the Ngambwe
Cataracts. Here the goods were unloaded and
carried some 800 yards. The empty canoes
were then forced up the rapids to the foot of the
cataract and dragged over dry ground to the still
water above.

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

At midday on the 15 th the canoes were
passing up the Lusu Rapids. These rapids
are most delicately picturesque. I have seen
nothing on the Zambezi to equal them in beauty.
The river is broken up by innumerable tree-clad
islands into narrow, rocky channels through
which the water rushes and murmurs in its on-
ward course. Above, the overhanging branches
meet, and cast their shade on the watery surface
beneath them. Occasional open spaces allow the
bright tropical sun to cast his dazzling rays on
the dancing torrent. The intensity of light and
shade thus created can be imagined. There was
a brilliancy about the picture which reminded me
more of my childhood s conception of fairyland
than of any natural scenery I have ever seen.
I was quite sorry when the canoes at last
emerged from this watery labyrinth and entered
the calm reaches beyond.

That evening camp was pitched at the con-
fluence of the Njoko (monkey) river and
-Zambezi.

Having shot a pallah and two pookoo rams
for the boys that were to be left behind at the
main camp, I started up the Njoko with the two
small canoes, intending to explore that river for
forty or fifty miles before continuing the journey
northwards.

On the afternoon of the 17th I started up

the Njoko on foot with two boys, sending four

START UP THE NJOKO RIVER

Others in the canoes with the blankets and
provisions. The river, though only about twenty
feet wide at this time of year, is deep, swift, and
very circuitous. Consequently it was quite two
hours after sunset by the time the food and
blankets were landed. Many of the northern
tributaries of the Zambezi, unlike the dry sand
rivers of South Africa, flow through wide alluvial
valleys, occasionally quite looo yards in width.
These valleys, though dry in winter, become
swampy in the rainy season. The rich soil
produces excellent cattle pasture, capable of
sustaining vast herds in those districts which
are not infested by the tsetse fly. This cruel
little pest is particularly numerous on the lower
reaches of the Njoko river. The excessive
attention they paid to the back of my neck
resulted in boil-like lumps, which at one time
threatened to give much pain and inconvenience ;
but zinc ointment and a protecting handkerchief
proved a rapid and efficacious remedy.

The tsetse is in reality very little bigger ths^n
the English house fly, though his wings being
longer he appears to be much larger. The fore
part of the body is so hard that more than an
ordinary pinch is necessary to deprive this insect
of life. I have frequently thrown flies away for
dead after giving them a vigorous squeeze, only
to see them fly away before reaching the ground.
The abdominal part of the body, which is marked

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

with black and amber striae, almost invariably has
the appearance of being an empty shell, out of
which all substance has been squeezed. Once
only I found an exception to this rule. This fly,
though he had evidently done himself right
royally, could not resist the temptation to sample
the new dish my bare arm offered him. I caught
and examined him. The abdomen was inflated
with blood to the size and shape of a pea, and
the distended tissues underneath were rendered
sufficiently transparent to show the colour of the
blood within. The proboscis of the tsetse pro-
trudes in a horizontal direction and does not
point downwards, as is the case with other flies.
It is about one eighth of an inch long, and pene-
trates the skin through a thick flannel shirt with-
out an effort The fly is frequently to be heard
giving vent to the high-pitched buzzing note
which gives it a name, but when advancing to
attack he noiselessly makes straight for his mark
without all the preparatory fuss employed by
others of his genus. His tread is so light that
the sharp prick of the proboscis is generally the
first indication of his whereabouts. The tsetse
avoids open plains and is only to be found in
forest or bush, and even there the limits of his
habitat are so clearly defined, and the fly belts so
permanently established, as to give rise to much
speculation as to the reason why one of two

contiguous districts of a similar character should

THE TSETSE FLY

teem with "fly," while the other is quite free
from the pest Certainly where buffalo is thick
the tsetse is numerous — generally, at least — but
this rule does not necessarily apply to most game.
Districts occur in which game abounds, which, ^
though within measurable reach of fly belts, are
perfectly free of their presence. There is much
mystery and consequent speculation about the
nature and peculiarities of the tsetse. Hard facts
are known well enough, but the scientist has not
yet arrived on the scene who can explain its
raisan d'Hre and the paradoxes of its nature. It
is commonly supposed in South Africa that the
fly lays its ova in the skin of the wild buffalo, but
this is not so, as experiments by Mr. Trimen,
formerly curator of the Cape Town Museum,
have proved; still, where the wild buffalo is to
be found in large numbers the tsetse invariably
teems, and yet the domestic ox succumbs more
readily to the bite than any other animal, except
perhaps the horse, whose first cousin the zebra
wanders through belts unhurt. So, too, the wild
dog and jackal are impervious, but few domestic
dogs survive the bite many months. On the
other hand, native dogs whose ancestors have
been bred in the fly country for many generations
do not succumb to the poison. The same rule
applies to goats reared under similar conditions ;
though it would seem it must not be applied to
sheep or cattle. Of all domestic animals the

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

lowly donkey alone makes a gckxl fight of it
X As high a proportion as four donkeys out of five
have spent a whole season in the fly country
without signs of the poison taking effect ; though
donkeys will, it is believed, at times die of fly
bites in the second season after being bitten. As
a rule animals bitten by flies in the dry season
will live till the first rains fall, when they die
within a few days. In the same way a horse if
bitten will generally die within twenty-four hours
of being ridden through a river. The symptoms
are a staring coat, swellings under the jaw, loss
of appetite, and increasing poverty of condition.
After death the blood is found to have lost its
liquidity and become gelatinous. Like the ** horse
sickness" and malarial fever, this curse to travel
and transport undoubtedly recedes before the
advance of civilization, so that the far future may
yet see the extinction of the tsetse.

Oswell reported the existence of the fly some
600 miles south of the Zambezi, when he hunted
there fifty years ago. Now waggons can be
taken from Bechuanaland to the Zambezi without
any danger of the oxen being "stuck." Several
flies are necessary to produce a fatal effect, but in
passing through a belt in the daytime several are
forthcoming. At night the danger is very small,
though it is a mistake to imagine that the
tsetse keeps such early hours as other flies.
I have at times been worried by them an hour

THE TSETSE FLY

after the sun has gone down, and have known
flies to buzz into my tent as late as 9 o'clock on
a dark night and make a bold dash for supper
at my expense. At that time of night they are
easily caught, and almost invariably found their
way into spirits of wine.

With all their faults these destructive little
creatures have the merit of being clean feeders.
The natives, in taking an animal through a fly
belt, plaster it with cow-dung, which effectively
keeps the fly at a safe distance. I remember
seeing it stated that a certain French traveller,
whose name I cannot for the moment call to
mind, was of opinion that the tsetse procured its
venom from putrid carcases of dead animals.
I wish such were the case, for then the tsetse
would become as harmless as the house fly for
want of poison. The African veldt is practically
free from decomposing flesh. If an animal dies
or is killed and partly devoured by lions, the
skulking hyaena and prowling jackal, which are
everywhere at night, soon scent out the re-
maining flesh. The sun has not risen high ere
vultures, at first mere black spots, appear from
space in the clear blue sky. Down they swoop,
one following another, until what the denizens of
the night have been unable to consume is being
greedily swallowed by some two dozen of these
scavengers. Next, myriads of ants swarm over
the bared bones, and thus within twenty-four
F 65

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

hours everything has been cleaned up, and by
the next morning the skeleton itself has been
broken to pieces by the returning hyaena. No,
if the poison is extraneous, as is almost certainly
the case, it is more probable that it is derived
from a vegetable source.

In the early afternoon of the i8th, while
skinning a fine specimen of pookoo ram which I
had shot that morning, one of the boys pointed
out a moving black spot some distance away on
the further side of the river. Taking two
boys with me I crossed to the opposite bank,
and making a detour placed myself to windward
of what turned out to be a wildebeest bull. The
country was open, but here and there an ant-
heap or stunted bush made stalking less difficult
I had crawled to within thirty yards of the wilde-
beest unnoticed, when I suddenly caught sight of
a koodoo bull, with a good pair of horns, grazing
about 300 yards beyond, while seventy or eighty
yards to the left of him a pallah ram was
similarly employed.

This was the first koodoo I had seen during

my present trip, so I commenced at once to crawl

away from the wildebeest with a view to paying

my attentions to the more recent discovery. The

wildebeest, however, suddenly suspected that

something was wrong. He raised his head and

sniffed the air, while I flattened myself as much

as possible against the ground and remained still.

PENETRATION OF MANNLICHER BULLET

Finally he turned his head in the opposite direc-
tion, but while taking this opportunity to get
away from him unobserved, lest he should disturb
the koodoo, he suddenly turned his head and
caught me in the act of moving. Three loud,
ominous snorts, and my little game was spoilt
The koodoo bull was put on the alert, and with
the pallah and wildebeest gazed in my direction.
This went on for about five minutes, when
suddenly the exposer of my schemes gave a
vigorous grunt, threw up his hind legs, lashed
his tail and galloped off. His example was
followed by the others ; so changing my i6-bore
for a Mannlicher, as I did not expect a near
shot, I ran off, hoping to cut off the koodoo,
which now bounded away with two other bulls
and four or five cows. In doing so I disturbed
a herd of some sixty eland, which I followed and
eventually lost in the forest.

On returning to the river valley I once more
came across my old enemy the wildebeest. I
think he must have -been a little deaf, for under
covert of a very small and scant piece of scrub I
again crawled to within thirty yards of him, bent
on avenging myself for the loss of the koodoo
head. He was facing me when I pulled the
trigger, but immediately swerved and galloped
away. The bullet struck some reeds 200 yards
beyond almost as I fired, and had the country
not been open I should have given myself credit

■■'*

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

for having missed him altogether. As it was the
bull fell dead after going about lOO yards ;
then the boys came up, and I ultimately found
that the bullet had entered the chest, passed
through the heart, and travelling the whole
length of the body had left it just to the right of
the root of the tail. It was my custom to file the
nickel nose of the Mannlicher bullets until the
lead core appeared ; this no doubt had enabled
the lead core to escape from its nickel coating,
for the latter was left behind in a twisted form
some nine inches from the exit hole. This
incident gives some idea of the penetrative power
the new small-bore service rifles possess.

The next day I camped on the rising ground
at the edge of the valley, through which the river
flowed within a hundred yards, while beyond it
many hundred yards of swamp contained large
numbers of lechwe and spurwing geese. While
waiting for the canoes, which travelled very
slowly owing to the rapidity of the current, I
waded through the swamps in pursuit of these
graceful water-buck, bagging a ram with a nice
pair of horns, and wounding a second in the
lungs. Before the boys came up with him he
had entered a huge entanglement of long river-
reeds, and it was not until the following morning
that his body was found.

I now decided to proceed for a further twenty

miles or so without the canoes. So after des-

GAME ON THE NJOKO

patching one canoe laden with meat for the
boys at the main camp under charge of two
local natives, I set off with four boys, leaving
the other two to await my return with the second

canoe.

On the opposite side of the river from where I
camped that evening, mixed herds of wildebeest,
zebra, and Lichenstein's hartebeest were to be
seen grazing on the rich valley pasture. I wanted
a Lichenstein, but had no more clothes with me
than those I stood in, and did not think it wise to
wet them so late in the evening by swimming the
river, so had to content myself by watching their
movements, an occupation both interesting and
instructive to anyone who can appreciate the
impressive simplicity of things natural. •

I believe this is the only occasion on which /
I have seen Lichenstein's hartebeest mingle with
herds of other species. They are essentially
exclusive in their dealings with other animals, or
perhaps it would be more correct to say the
exclusiveness is on the other side. In this case
I noticed that whenever a wildebeest found a
hartebeest grazing near him he would lower his
head and charge. A few bounds, however, and
the fleeter antelope was well out of harm s way.
On the other hand, zebra and wildebeest frequently
associate on the most friendly terms one with the
other. Perhaps the marvellous and incongruous
masses of game one so often sees illustrated in

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

books of travel may have some foundation in
fact, but I confess that, although I have frequently
seen large herds of game and at times three or
four herds of different species within view at
the same time, and occasionally to some extent
intermingled, I have never yet been fortunate
enough to see buffalo, zebra, and some twelve
species of antelope, with rhinoceros and a lion
or two thrown in, associating together with true
farmyard amiability, and extending in every
direction as far as the eye can reach.

On the following evening I reached the con-
fluence of the Njoko and Rampungu rivers, in
16"* 42' S. latitude. The Rampungu, like the
river it feeds, flows through an open valley, down
which it winds through a bed some fifteen feet
wide and four to eight deep. Its water is quite
the clearest I have ever seen, objects under six
feet of water being perfectly clear and well
defined. In the northern angle formed by these
rivers there is a native settlement situated on
the top of a sandy rise in the angle of the two
rivers. I made my camp near one of the villages,
and was most hospitably received by the head-
man, who sent me large quantities of fresh and
thick milk — a luxury I always appreciated, but
seldom participated in. At noon the next day
I commenced my return journey, accompanied by
a couple of boys from the village, as I wished

to send back a present of meat if fortune brought

NATIVE HOSPITALITY

anything my way. After travelling about five
miles a large herd of lechwe gave me a chance
which I would not have attempted to take in
ordinary circumstances. They had noticed me,
and forthwith moved away across the swamps
towards the river. When standing about 400
yards in front, a lucky shot from the Mannlicher
wounded one so severely that the boys had no
difficulty in finishing it with their assegais, as the
wounded animal endeavoured to effect its escape
towards the river. I was glad to have the oppor-
tunity of sending the greater part of the meat
back to the headman of the village I had just
left, for when receiving the first milk he sent me
I had told him I regretted that I had nothing
with me to remunerate him with, and yet he sent
more ! As a rule, when an African native makes
a present he expects one of greater value in
return.

Next day I secured a fine reedbuck ram with
horns measuring 15^ inches from base to tip, and
later in the evening shot a wildebeest. Taking
two boys on with me, I left the rest to cut up and
protect the meat till I should send out a suffi-
cient number of boys to carry it to the canoe,
which was only about nine miles away. That
evening I camped about four miles from home,
and immediately after continuing my journey on
the following morning sighted a single roan
antelope bull, which after a long stalk I failed

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

to bag owing to bad shooting. I arrived at my
destination at about eight o'clock with a stein-
buck ram I had shot on the way.

I had not been in camp more than a short
time when three natives, an old man, a young
man, and a small boy, turned up in an emaciated
condition ; the poor creatures were little more
than skeletons — victims of the famine. They
brought with them a small calabash of honey,
for which they begged me to give them
meat I gave them what I could, and went
out to shoot a lechwe, hoping to bestow on
them as much as they could carry away. Unfor-
tunately I was unsuccessful, and returned empty-
handed.

Having a slight touch of fever on me I re-
mained where I was until about three oclock
on the following afternoon, when the return
journey was continued by canoe. The current
took the boat down at a considerable pace, so
that a hippopotamus, which discovered our ap-
proach when we were over fifty yards from him,
only reached the water's edge as the canoe was
almost on a level with him. Then in he plunged
immediately in front In a second he was head
and shoulders above water, five yards distant
Vainly I shouted to the boy in the bows to
stoop down in order that I might fire, but he
was rendered immovable by fright or surprise,
or both ; and the hippopotamus, after giving

THE ZAMBEZI AGAIN

ample time for a right and left, disappeared
below the water s surface unmolested.

Two days later I reached the main camp on
the Zambezi. The boys succeeded in upsetting
the canoe while shooting some small rapids,
resulting in the loss of one or two trophies
only; otherwise nothing out of the ordinary
occurred.

CHAPTER V.

IT was dark as the canoe neared camp on the
26th of August. Huge bonfires were raging
for several hundred yards round the camp, the
cause for which puzzled me not a little. How-
ever, on landing, I found that the Bamangwato
boy Lecharu, whom I had left in charge of my
goods and tent, was at death's door. During
the ten days I had been away he was reduced to
something little more than a skeleton. His
calves had almost entirely disappeared, so that
the brass ornaments he had worn immediately
below the knee had fallen to the ankles, while
his lean face wore that look of hopeless misery
universally adopted by all sick niggers suffering
from ailments trivial or severe. There being no
fever, I concluded that the liver had been rebelling
against the excessive work it had been called
upon to do. Nothing else but meat was pro-
curable, and of that the boys had always had
as much as they could eat. I should think I am
not exaggerating when I say the noble 'savage
will consume twelve to fifteen pounds of meat
a day when he can get it. Even under this

A WOUNDED HIPPOPOTAMUS

condition there is but little sickness, so that it
is hard to imagine that Nature has not provided
the African with a gizzard in addition to the
usual digestive organs of mankind in general.
However, two days of careful treatment and
feeding on my own meal so improved the boy
in health that I was once more able to proceed
up the Zambezi on the 28th.

That evening as my "dug out" skirted the
steep banks of a large wooded island, a hippo
plunged into the river within a couple of yards
of the after part of the canoe. Swinging round,
I fired a shot into her lungs. This created a
panic among the boys, and for the moment I
thought they were going to leave the boat for
the bank. The wounded animal, however, did
not attack, and from the movement on the
surface of the water it was soon evident that
the hippo, with a calf which occasionally showed
his head, was making for the reeds that lined
the bank opposite. There the boys came across
her later. She was evidently severely wounded,
but ultimately escaped down stream ; and seeing
that she might live for twelve hours, and not
float for another six, there was not sufficient
certainty of finding her within a few miles to
justify the delay necessary for search. A cold
bath, the wetting of all and probable loss of
some of the cargo, is by no means uncommon
on the Zambezi. Hippopotami, and especially

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

COWS with young calves, have a playful habit
when opportunity offers of rising under some
canoe and overturning it. Thus the natives
in their journeys up and down the river skirt
the banks. In crossing from bank to bank they
first make certain that there is no sign of a
herd, and then do all they know to get out of
deep water as quickly as possible.

A friend of mine once described to me a most
exciting chase after a canoe by a hippopotamus
opposite the town of Kazungula. The boys
worked hard and well together, forcing their
craft through the water at a great speed. At
first they appeared to gain slightly on their
pursuer, which followed little over a length
astern ; but finally the hippo rapidly drew near
the canoe, which got home not a moment too
soon, the pace it was travelling at as it reached
the bank forcing half of it clear of the water.
Though, happily, so determined an attack is of
rare occurrence, accidents occur sufficiently often
to compel native respect for the "sea cow," and
induce caution.

Of the few English travellers who have

travelled the river between Kazungula and

Lialui, two, at least, have met with disaster.

Mr. F. C. Selous, eight years ago, witnessed the

upsetting of one of his canoes, which, though

resulting in no loss of life, lost him a valuable

tusk of ivory. About five years ago, too, Mr.

IN SEARCH OF MEAT

Buckenham, a missionary, had to swim ashore
in a hurry. He carried with him his rifle, but
lost several of his effects, which had sunk in
deep water.

Two days later, being out of meat, I gave
the paddlers a rest and went out in search of
game. As I wished to combine trophy hunting
with the more necessary object of the chase,
I passed a herd of young hornless koodoo
without molesting them. It was some time
later that three buffaloes were disturbed, but
they would not give me a fair chance, and a
running shot from behind was without satis-
factory result. As I went back and reflected
that there was absolutely no food in camp for
the boys, I wished earnestly that those koodoo
yearlings would give me a second opportunity. I
had very nearly made up my mind that after all a
bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, when
a warthog suddenly made his appearance, and I
fired an ounce of lead into his hind-quarters as
he bolted off through the bush with tail erect
Piggy left behind him much blood at every
step ; but he was soon out of view, and the
spoor had to be followed. After going about
a mile he betook himself to the river, and
hid in the thick undergrowth near the bank.
I placed myself a couple of hundred yards
up stream, from where I caused the boys
to line out and drive towards me. They

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

beat about unsuccessfully for some minutes,
when their excited voices told me that the pig
had at last been seen. When I reached them
they pointed to the river, where the wounded
animal was making his final bid for life in his
effort to place the river between himself and
his pursuers. He had swum about seventy
yards when his strength failed and down he
went. I at once sent for a canoe, and ultimately
the body was found caught in the branches of
an overhanging tree, about half a mile down
stream. Piggy had a good pair of tusks, which,
together with the skin of the head and neck,
I saved for my collection.

The morning afterwards the boys said that
they would not be able to start when I gave
the order to load the canoes, because one of
them was sick. I went to see the invalid, who
was apparently suffering from the effects of over-
eating. He sat with his elbows resting on his
knees, and supported his head with both hands,
with the usual expression of abject misery on his
black face. When asked where he was sick, he
slowly touched his forehead, shins, arms, and back
one after the other, and then looked piteously
into my face. This is exactly what happened
many times during the next nine months. Lest
sickness should become too fashionable, I never
allowed delay, and administered powerful pills.
Thus we travelled that day in spite of every-

THE LUMBI CONFLUENCE

thing, and the boy was himself again on the
following morning.

On the 1st of September I camped on the
west bank of the Zambezi, immediately opposite
its confluence with the Lumbi river. This river
passes over a series of rocky rapids and cataracts
for the last mile of its course ; but above, the
stream is sluggish and very similar in character
to the Njoko. I followed the course for about
fifteen miles, which led me to broad swamps which
supported several herds of lechwe. I wanted
meat, but was seemingly out of luck, or, in other
words, did not place my bullets quite in the right
place, for after wounding four — three severely — I
returned without bagging one. However, I shot
two reedbucks further down the river, which
settled the food question for a couple of days.

The next day the journey was continued. The
river had now become much narrower, in places
less than lOO yards in width, with high and rocky
banks.

After about two hours* paddling the goods were
landed immediately below the Gonye Rapids.
From this place the canoes are dragged over
rollers, and native porters carry the loads for a
distance of 2^ miles, and clear of the Gonye
Falls.

Everything was ashore by one o'clock, so I
ordered Sangina, the head paddler, to send a
message to the chief of Sioma — the native town

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

near the falls — ^apprising him of my arrival, and
asking for boys to carry the goods forward that
afternoon.

Immediately afterwards I noticed him engaged
in a tete-cL'tHe conversation with Bushman, a boy
who always would have his say in all questions
arising among his fellows — a wiry, brown-skinned
rascal with a forbidding countenance, who was
apparently a captive or renegade from the tawny-
skinned nomads of the Kalahari desert.

Sang^na then approached

**I will send to Sioma to-morrow, N'tate," he
said.

** What do you mean 'i " I asked " Did I not
tell you that I wish to camp at Sioma to-day ? "

" We have had hard work, and wish for rest,"
was the rejoinder.

"You had two days rest at the Lumbi, and
you have paddled only a short distance to-day.
No, you are not tired, but lazy. You must send
two boys to Sioma at once with my message to
the chief.'*

** I will send to-morrow/' was the curt reply.

Although once or twice excuses had been made

for delay on previous occasions, they had never

been persisted in on my refusing to accept them.

A day's delay in itself meant little, but here a

principle was involved which no African traveller

would be wise to ignore. Give the African native

an inch, and it won t be his fault if he does not

INSUBORDINATION AMONG THE BOYS

take an ell. Once let a horse or a dog get the
better of the trainer, and the battle will probably
have to be fought over again half a dozen times
before the ground lost is reclaimed. Show the
African savage that he can dispute his masters
will, and heaven only knows when insubordination
and worry will cease.

So I made up my mind to fight the question
out to the bitter end. Bushman had approached
to join in the protest, and I was convinced that he
was the real instigator of the trouble.

" To-night," I said, " I will camp at Sioma, or
else you and Bushman shall cease to be my
boys. Therefore send at once to the chief for
carriers."

" To-morrow they shall be sent for," he per-
sistently replied.

"Leave me," I answered angrily, "and be-
ware."

After I had taken a little refreshment and a
pannikin of tea, I again sent for Sangina.

" Have you sent to Sioma ? "

"To-morrow I will send."

" Go ; once more I will send for you, and if my
orders have not been obeyed I will drive you
from my camp, and you shall return to the
Mokwai with a letter from me.'*

I wrote a letter explaining how the two boys
had refused to obey my orders, so that they were
no longer of any use to me, and I intended

G 8l

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

asking the chief of Sioma to supply me with
paddlers to take their places.

I then walked over to where the boys squatted
and talked.

" Have you sent boys to Sioma ? " I asked of
Sangina.

*' We will send to-morrow."

** No you will not, you shall leave my camp at
once ; you are no longer my boys, as you refuse
to obey me. Here is a letter. Take it to the
Mokwai.*'

" Will you give us our blankets and sitzibas ? "
he asked.

** No, certainly not. I undertook to pay you
each a blanket and sitziba if you took me to
Liwanika. You have refused to do so. Your
blankets and sitzibas will be given to the two
boys who take your places. Why should I pay
double, once to you and once to the boys who
will do what you refuse to do.^ I shall tell
Liwanika all about you when I see him, and I
shall ask him if I have not done right."

Turning to the other boys I asked, ** Which of
you wish to return to the Mokwai with Sangina
and Bushman, and which of you would like to
go on with me to Liwanika.^"

They unanimously expressed their wish to
remain with me.

" Then send at once to Sioma."

In a moment two boys got up and volun-

THE GONYE FALLS

teered to take the message, and I saw that I
had won.

Sangina and Bushman refused to take the
letter, and said they were going to Liwanika.

"I shall be there soon," I added, as I motioned
them to leave. " Give the king my greetings,
and tell him I have something to say to him
when I see him." I knew, of course, that these
boys dare not risk a visit to Liwanika after their
conduct.

I remained encamped above the Gonye Falls
for two days, and was consequently able to take
a few photographs and observations for latitude
and altitude. Boiling-point thermometer readings
showed the river above the falls to be 3300 feet
above the sea level, or about ninety feet higher
than Kazungula. Immediately above the falls
the river, which is wide and shallow, flows west,
though its general direction is nearly south. In
the wet season the waterfall is crescent-shaped;
but at this time — towards the end of the dry
season — only an occasional subsidiary stream
escaped over the rocky precipice which forms
the right half of the crescent.

In my approach from the south-east I had to
pass over a mass of huge detached boulders,
through and under which a certain amount of
water found its way. The whole crescent
probably measures 200 yards, while I estimated
the left half, over which water flows throughout

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

the year, to be 90 to 100 yards in width and
about twenty-five feet high. Immediately below
the torrent foams and rushes through a rock-
bound bed in a south-westerly direction for two
or three hundred yards, when it gradually curves
round to the south in unnavigable rapids for
some two miles. A fringe of non-deciduous
bush certainly to some extent relieves the cold
grandeur of this rocky scene, but the absence
of tropical vegetation or large trees deprives
the picture of an attribute which would leave
nothing further to be desired.

Shortly after my return from the falls I was
visited by three chiefs, who said they shared
the chieftainship of Sioma.

•'But which of you," I asked, "is the head
chief.?"

They pointed out that they were all head
chiefs ; having in view, no doubt, three presents
instead of one.

It did not take long, however, to find out
which of the three ranked first ; so, after
exchanging a few preliminary remarks, I
addressed him — " My boys are hungry and
want com. I wish to buy as much as you care
to sell."

" There is no com in Sioma," he answered.

I knew this was not an accurate statement
of fact, so made up my mind that I would give
no present until food was forthcoming.

THE CHIEFS OF SIOMA

** But I know there is corn in Sioma. Send
some at least, and I will pay you well."

But they would not go back on their word.

I then made enquiries about the game in the
neighbourhood, to which they answered that
there was little game for a short distance up the
river, but beyond there was none, neither was
there any corn in Borotse. This was a bright
look-out, and the last mouthful of food for the
boys would be finished that day !

These three gentlemen chattered with great
volubility for nearly an hour. Feeling I had
seen enough of them I paid the usual price for
the conveyance of the goods and canoes from
below to above the falls, and left them to their
own devices.

Shortly after they came to bid farewell, and
hoped that I would be successful in killing some
game. With this expression, the senior chief
pointed towards his opened mouth and then
patted his stomach gently. I could not restrain
my laughter at the comical expression with which
the old rascal accompanied the gesture.

**My boys are hungry," I said; "send me
corn and I will send you meat." However, no
corn arrived

Sangina and Bushman had made two attempts
to rejoin my boys, but each time I peremptorily
ordered them away. A boy named Simukwenga
had been appointed to succeed Sangina as head-

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

man, and I was quite ready to continue the
journey either with or without two new boys.
The two delinquents had evidently come to the
conclusion that all hope of being taken back had
vanished, for Simukwenga brought a message
saying they were leaving Sioma, but wished to
bid me farewell before they left.

They approached submissively and in marching
order — assegai, calabash, and skin blanket — and
said they were leaving for Sesheke.

"But I thought you were going by land to
Borotse," I said. " I was looking forward to
taking you with me to the king's presence when
I arrived.*'

" No, we go to Sesheke, and will take your
letter to the Mokwai. We dare not go to
Liwanika. He would kill us when he heard
how we have behaved to you. We go to the
Mokwai ; we are her slaves, and will ask her to
forgive us.''

** But don't you think you deserve to be killed
after being so bad ? "

I began to see I should be able to take them
back into my service without detriment to myself.
They had learnt their lesson.

"We do not want to be killed, N'tate."

I affected deep thought for some moments, and
then addressed them.

'*You have behaved very wickedly, and you

have made me very angry. Still, I do not wish

SANGINA AND BUSHMAN FORGIVEN

you to be killed ; but I mean that you shall be
punished. If I take you back as my boys will
you ever refuse to do what I tell you again ? "

"No, N'tate; we will do everything you tell
us."

" Then I will take you back, but on these con-
ditions only. You, Sangina, have shown that you
are not fit to be headman, because you have not
learnt how to obey your master, so shall no longer
be headman. Simukwenga has taken your place,
and you must both obey him. I will give you
your pay when your work is ended, but neither
you nor Bushman must expect the present which
I may give to those boys who have obeyed my
orders."

They appeared delighted with these conditions,
and readily accepted them.

" Remember one thing, then," I added ; ** if
ever you give me trouble again I will have no
mercy on you."

These eleven paddlers were in my service for
two further months, during which time every wish
I expressed was readily complied with, and I
never had reason to regret having taken Sangina
and Bushman back.

CHAPTER VI.

ON the morning of September the 7th no
corn had been sent from Sioma, and the
boys were absolutely without food. For a
few miles up stream there was game, but it was
very scarce, while from the southern extremity
of the huge plain known as Borotse, com-
mencing about a day s journey from the Gonye
Falls, corn was absolutely unprocurable, and,
with the exception of hippopotami, there was
no game whatsoever. I therefore determined
to move camp about half a dozen miles up the
river, and from there hunt till sufficient meat
could be dried to feed the boys for a week.

The African native, despite his very consider-
able capacity for consuming food when procur-
able, is gifted with a not less marvellous power
of subsisting on very little if necessary. While
paddling up the river they collected the stems
of the water-lily flower, which grows in profusion
near the banks. These were subsequently boiled
down and served to fill, if not to nourish, them.

Opposite the spot selected for camp, on the

left bank, a few natives were to be seen, so

A BUFFALO HUNT

I sent Simukwenga across to make enquiries
as to the whereabouts of game.

In a quarter of an hour he returned with the
encouraging news that a large herd of buffalo
had been sleeping through the heat of the day
a short distance only from the river.

It was now about three o'clock, and I lost
no time in putting together a few provisions and
a couple of blankets, so as to be prepared to
follow the herd for three days if necessary.

Three or four local natives awaited my arrival,
and willingly consented to join in the hunt in
view of the probability of a substantial meat
meal.

By four o'clock I was on the spoor of the
buffaloes, which had left about two hours before,
judging from the condition of the droppings.
Still, it was likely that they would delay a good
deal whenever they reached a tempting piece
of pasture, and thus give me a chance of getting
among them before the light failed. And so it
was ; for after following the spoor for a couple
of hours, my eyes seemed to detect a movement
in the forest some 500 yards ahead. Closer
scrutiny discovered a large herd of buffalo
grazing slowly up an open glade. As there
was no undergrowth I instructed the boys to
remain where they were until the first shot was
fired, and forthwith commenced a detour with
a view to heading the herd and getting more

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

directly to windward of them. Just as the sun
was setting I reached the edge of the long, narrow
valley — almost devoid of covert — unnoticed by
the herd of some 200 buffalo as they moved
slowly along the open strip. Finally, by
stretching myself full length on the ground
and dragging my body very gradually back-
wards by means of my toes, I reached an ant-heap
in the plain near which it seemed the herd must
pass unless disturbed. In a few minutes the
leaders were well within range. I saw no bulls
near, so picked out a large cow, apparently
wounding her in the shoulder. The herd at
once faced about and galloped off in a cloud
of dust, while I followed without delay. Getting
the wind of the approaching boys they pulled
up, evidently not quite certain of the direction
of their enemy. Four badly-placed shots, as
they rushed backwards and forwards, wounded
three more, but killed none. Then, noticing the
cow I had first wounded standing about 100
yards to my right and looking away in the
direction of the boys, I ran after her and
ineffectively emptied both barrels as she turned
and cantered off. After a short, sharp run both
the beast and myself had halted about twenty-five
yards apart, I vainly endeavouring to extract
a jammed cartridge case from my rifle. It was
only just removed as the wounded cow, sighting
me, raised her muzzle and, with extended neck

CHARGED BY A BUFFALO

and horns thrown back, charged. I stooped
down and waited till she was a couple of paces
away, then, firing two ounces of lead into her
chest, sprang quickly aside. She passed by my
right, swerved, and fell dead ten yards beyond.
By this time the light was failing. I had only
brought one buffalo to bag and wanted three ;
so, seizing a Mannlicher from one of the boys
who had just come up, I followed up the herd,
which was now standing about half a mile down
the valley. A lucky long shot severed the spine
of another cow. She bellowed and fell. I once
more gave chase, hoping that one at least of the
three wounded animals would fall out, but none
did so, and I was compelled to return for want
of light. It was too late to cut up the buffaloes
that night, so I left three boys to sleep near the
carcase of one cow, while I returned to the other
and camped with the rest near it.

During the night the groans and bellowing of
a buffalo no great distance from camp told me
that another would probably be bagged next day.
As soon as it was light I set off in search of
number three. After examining the ground care-
fully for some time the boys struck the blood
spoor of a single buffalo, which was at once
followed. A short distance further on a leopard
spoor joined and was to be seen on that of the
buffalo for several hundred yards, where the two
spoors separated.

9»

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

One of the boys drew my attention to this,
and said :

*' The leopard has gone down to the river ; the
buffalo is very sick but is not dead."

It was quite an hour after this, during which
we had a long check, that the leading boy
stopped and beckoned me forward. The bush
was very thick and thorny just there, and we
were compelled to advance in single file.

Twenty-five yards in front, and lying down with
her back towards me, was a buffalo cow, as yet
quite unsuspicious of pursuit. A buffalo is a
dangerous animal in thick bush, which gives like
paper before his ponderous charge, but is im-
penetrable to the hunter. Here was a narrow
path along which the animal had passed, and
thick thorn walls on either side ; thus no opening
for escape was offered save by rapid retreat in
case my bullet did not take effect and the buffalo
charged, which these animals almost invariably
do when brought to bay within thirty paces or so
of their pursuer. I therefore retraced my steps
and endeavoured to find a place where the bush
was sufficiently open to allow me to fire into her
shoulder where she lay. The bush proved to be
too thick, so there was nothing for it but to follow
her spoor and put a bullet in the right place as
she rose and turned. When twenty paces from
her she first became aware of my presence. In
a moment she was on her legs, and with extended

"NO CORN, NO MEAT"

muzzle commenced her charge, but had not made
three paces when a heavy bullet brought her to
her knees and she rolled over dead. She turned
out to be a very fat cow. The boys rejoiced
over her more than over anything I had killed
since they had been with me, for they love fat.

The remainder of the day was spent in carry-
ing meat and cutting it into strips for drying.
There was enough food now to last the boys
a week, and a great weight was removed from
my mind.

Just after arriving in camp that evening a
canoe with two paddlers put into the bank. They
were in front of me in a moment afterwards.

**The chief of Sioma has sent us to ask the
white man to give him some of the buffalo meat."

" Give my greetings to the chief of Sioma,"
I answered, **and tell him this. Two days ago
my boys were hungry. I knew he had corn and
asked him to sell some. He said, * There is no
corn.' Just as there was no corn in Sioma two
days ago for me, so there is no meat here to-day
for the chief of Sioma."

** You have spoken wisely, N'tate," said one of
my paddlers, feelingly, as he thought of his own
stomach, and the two strangers left.

On the morning of the loth Borotse was
reached in 16" 15' south latitude. This is a huge,
alluvial, open plain, in places quite fifty or sixty
miles wide, and extending a considerable distance

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

to the north of Lialui, which stands about seventy
miles as the crow flies north of the southern
boundary of the plain. In the winter Borotse
yields an excellent cattle pasture, and being free
from the tsetse fly supports many thousands of
cattle — the property of the Marotse. In the sum-
mer or rainy season the river overflows its banks,
and converts the plain into a marshy swamp.

The Marotse build their villages and make
their gardens on the mounds, which alone remain
high and dry during this period of inundation.
These mounds — many of which cover acres of
ground — are the work of the white ant, whose
marvellous constructive and destructive capabili-
ties have so often been instanced by others. The
river here is not picturesque, and is similar in
character to what has already been described in
the Sesheke district. Waterfowl are to be seen
everywhere ; the stork struts about with self-con-
scious gait amidst myriads of smaller fowl. Apart
from other species a row of pelicans here and
there monopolises a sandbank as they stolidly
sun themselves, their huge beaks resting on their
breasts, looking the very picture of quaint
sagacity. Mixing on more sociable terms are to
be seen the refined-looking ibis and the noisy
plover, intermingling with countless other varieties
•^-birds black, white, and coloured, with big beaks
and small beaks, long legs and short legs. As
the canoes skirt the reed-bound bank the travel-

BOROTSE

ler s reveries are now and again abruptly broken
by the fearful notes of some scared heron within
a few feet of his ears. His eyes will then observe
a movement on a bank ahead as some suspicious
crocodile glides snake-like into the water; a
moment later the brute's forehead alone shows
above the surface as he watches the canoes pass
in comparative safety. Frequently, too, the far-
reaching grunt of the hippopotamus attracts notice
to a herd of these monsters as their heads rise
and disappear one after the other in their anxiety
to know exactly what is going on. All these
sights and sounds quite make up in interest for
clean-cut mudbanks, and the entanglement of
reeds which with the water, and sandbanks crop-
ping up here and there, unite to form the never-
varying landscape.

Borotse is much more thickly populated than
any other district I have passed through in Li-
wanika's *' empire." To the Marotse themselves
1 took a particular fancy. They are for the most
part a tall, well set-up race, very black in skin.
In manner they are courteous, and in bearing
dignified. Every full-blooded Marotse is by birth-
right a chief, and takes his place in the aristocracy
of the "empire." The bare fact that he is a
Marotse ensures the respect of the subservient
tribes, and as he grows to manhood a sense of
superiority implants in most of them the dignity
of self-respect.

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

I was now once more in a land of milk. Mixed
herds of cattle were to be seen grazing along the
banks of the river, and their condition even then,
towards the close of the dry season, bore witness
to the richness of the pasture.

My goods were packed, and I was about to
start up stream on the morning of the 1 2th when
two canoes neared the bank. Out of one a
venerable old chief stepped, and as he approached
bade me welcome to Borotse. He then called
to his slaves in the other canoe, who advanced
with several bowls of fresh milk. I thanked him,
and said I would take a small bowl, which I
would drink, adding :

" I am sorry you did not come sooner, before
all my things were tied up and packed in the
canoes, for then I would gladly have bought all
your milk."

** I have brought the milk as a present for the
white man," he answered. I thanked the old
man, and filling a bottle for my own use, gave the
rest to the boys.

Imagine a Bamangwato or other South African
native giving a white man, much less a stranger
from whom he had been told he could get no
return, the morning's milk from at least six cows !

In the afternoon I wounded a hippo in the head,
and followed him for some time, but could not
get a second shot, though his head appeared for
a moment at short intervals as he spurted from

STRANGE LETTER FROM LiWANlKA

his nostrils quite a fountain of blood and water.
Finally I lost him for that afternoon, but next
morning the natives found his blood spoor on the
bank. He led us through a labyrinth of paths
and tunnels among the high entangled reeds, but
was eventually lost amid the swamps and
marshes in which he had taken refuge.

Although the midday temperature in the
shade seldom exceeded lOo'' Fahr., which would
be by no means oppressive in the higher and
drier country beyond the plain — the heat on the
river was intense, and made travelling during the
hotter hours somewhat trying, unprotected as
I was by any other cover than my helmet The
nights, however, though misty, were cool and
eminently conducive to sleep. Comfortable rest
at night means to the traveller the greatest of
blessings, vigour and health, which spell, or
ought to spell, happiness.

On the 13th, shortly after making my nights
camp in the early evening, a messenger arrived
with a letter from Liwanika, translated and
written by M. Adolp J alia, an Italian missionary
at Lialui, working under the auspices of the
Paris Missionary Society.

This remarkable epistle enquired by what
right I hunted in the country without the king's
permission, and especially on the Njoko river,
which was a royal preserve. It finished up with
the request that I should send by the messenger
H 97

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

the present which he exacted of all white
hunters crossing the river, abruptly adding, *'and
let it be a valuable one."

It is needless to remark that a note written
in that tone did not please me very much, the
more especially as it inferred the defeat of my
plans, which I was all the more anxious to carry
through as I had been so often told they were
impossible without a strong party.

I sat down at once, and replied that I regretted
that Liwanika had thought fit to repudiate the
permit to hunt in his country he had sent to
Kazungula; still, had I known the Njoko river
was his private preserve I would not have hunted
there without his special permission ; concluding
with the words, " I shall see you myself in four
or five days, when I will give you the present
I have always intended for you, and no other."

After passing my friend, Captain Bertrand,
a kind and courteous Swiss gentleman, who had
accompanied me from Palapye to the Zambezi,
and was returning by river to Kazungula on
his way home, I camped at Nalolo on the
evening of the 1 5th. Nalolo is the second town
in importance in the Marotse empire, and is
presided over by the queen of the country.

An interesting and unique custom places this

lady — known as the Mokwai — in the position she

holds. By the unwritten constitution of Marotse-

land the eldest sister of the ruling king shares

THE MOKWAI NALOLO

both his prerogatives and his rights. He is not
at liberty to take any important step in the
government of his country without his sister's
sanction and advice, though of course he stands
in the position of a senior partner, and I imagine
has his own way when he wants it. Within her
own district the Mokwai enjoys absolute sway
over her subjects. Their lives and property are
in her hands, and she knows it She is at liberty
to take unto herself a husband or depose him at
will, and in this respect the present lady has
shown herself quite equal to the occasion. When
I visited her she had got as far as No. 7, who had
lasted very much longer than most of his prede-
cessors ; so it is to be presumed his deposition or
sudden demise is at hand.

No. 6 had a very tragic end. He was an
amiable man, and through his extreme kindliness
and irreproachable life won the universal esteem
and respect of the people. His better half, being
of a jealous and envious disposition, resented his
popularity, and set about to compass his death.
One night she gave a beer party to the select of
Nalolo. As the evening progressed and the oft-
repeated libations stimulated and excited the
assembled guests, their royal hostess drew some
of the young men aside, provided them with
knives, and ordered the death of her husband.
To their credit — half-drunken savages though
they were — they refused to obey their ruler's

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

behest, ignoring alike her promise of reward and
chidings for cowardice. Thus frustrated in her
efforts to father the cruel deed on others, she
seized a knife, sought out her victim, and with
her own hand plunged the blade deep into his
heart.

As he fell she exclaimed contemptuously to her
horrified guests :

" Thus a thorn has been removed from my
flesh."

The town of Nalolo, the population of which
I estimated at about 1500, stands about three-
quarters of a mile from the right bank of the
river on a large rising mound. I pitched my tent
on the bank, and sent a message that evening to
the Mokwai notifying my arrival, and expressing
my intention of visiting her in the morning. The
messenger came back bidding me welcome, and
was accompanied by a small boy, who laid a large
bowl of thick milk at my feet as a present from
his mistress.

This thick or curded milk, if properly made
and eaten at the right time, is very excellent and
nutritious. Both in taste and consistency it is
best described as betwixt and between Devon-
shire cream and cream-cheese.

Close to my tent, and covering some four or

five acres of ground, several huge fishing nets

were stretched over the ground. These nets are

beautifully made out of tan-coloured bark twine,

100

• "„

ZAMBEZI FISH

• .

and are at once strong and durable. Wh^ in
use they are stretched across the river — which-'at / .
Nalolo is about 250 yards — and dragged forward •' ••/;>
by men in canoes and on the banks. There are "•*•;
some exceptionally good eating fish in the Upper
Zambezi, unlike the majority of species found in
the Limpopo and other South African rivers,
where in most cases the flesh is hopelessly mixed
up with innumerable disconnected bones. The
only fish I saw which is common to South African
rivers and the Zambezi is the tough and tasteless
" barber," a mud fish which abounds. There are
doubtless other fish to be found in both districts,
as I do not pretend to have seen even the
majority of piscal species inhabiting the Zambezi
during my three or four months' connection with
that river ; but I was surprised to find such a
marked contrast between the fish I saw and ate
during the expedition of which these pages are
a description, and those which I have seen and
tasted during my former visits to the interior of
South Africa. However, I will not waste any
more of my reader's time on this subject, as my
interest in fish has been mainly confined to the
cooking and eating of them.

While it was still cool on the following morn-
ing I walked into the town to see the fiend of a
woman of whom it had been said, " She has been
guilty of every crime from murder with her own
hands downwards."

lOI

• * •

EXPLORAJjqNAND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

Sjbe'^welt, as is usual with native potentates,

^ ..within a stockaded yard in the centre of the town.

.•;,•;:• Her house, like that belonging to her daughter

at Sesheke, and her nephew Latia at Kazungula,

was spacious and oblong, constructed similarly to

the mission houses on the river.

A not unprepossessing woman of somewhat
portly dimensions came forward to greet me as I
entered the yard. Though she does not look
it she must be over fifty, as she is older than
Liwanika, who is about that age. She still
talks of Liwanika as her little brother, and
is frequently much annoyed at his being treated
as a superior person to herself. Indeed, were
it not for the fact that she has an actual
interest in keeping him alive — inasmuch as her
chieftainship terminates with his life — it is very
much to be doubted whether Liwanika would be
the present ruler of the Marotse empire.

The Mokwai of course asked me the usual
questions : ** Was I an Englishman ? " ** What
have I come to Borotse for.^'* **When was I
going back to England ?'' &c., and received the
usual replies.

One passage in our conversation perhaps

deserves mention. Thinking to give pleasure

to the "mother" — for I have been told that

the worst of women have the instincts of

maternal affection — I alluded in laudatory terms

to the treatment I had received from her

102

THE MOKWAI RETURNS MY CALL

daughter, the fuling princess of Sesheke, and the
Mokwetunga, her husband, during my stay there.

A free translation of the reply is : ** Oh, they
are only small fry. I and Liwanika are the big-
wigs in this part of the world."

Next she begged me to stay at Nalolo for
three days, so that I might shoot a hippopotamus,
and give her the fat. However, I refused the
kind and pressing invitation, on the ground I
was in a hurry, as my journey up the river
had been slower than I had intended, and I still
had far to go ; but, to appease her, I added :

'* If I return to Kazungula by river I will stay
with you for three days and will shoot a hippo-
potamus, and you shall have the fat." And so I
returned to my tent, and proceeded to complete
the skinning of a spurwing goose I had shot the
previous afternoon. I had scarcely commenced
work, when the clapping of hands with which
these people salute their chiefs caused me to put
my head out of the tent. There was the lady
I had just left, followed by a line of chiefs and
servants in single file. I soon found that she
was paying a return call, so was reluctantly
compelled to "do the civil" by placing her on
an ammunition box and giving her a cup of
coffee. At last she went, and I left Nalolo
without delay.

I cannot leave the Mokwai without mention of

an outrage on missionaries which occurred some

103

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

five years ago, and in which she played a leading
part.

She was on a visit to Sesheke, and at the same
time Messrs. Buckenham and Baldwin, English
missionaries, accompanied by the wife and child
of the former and an artisan, were staying there.
The Mokwai had promised to supply a certain
**boy*' for the construction of a storehouse for the
English mission goods, but the **boy" had not
been forthcoming. In the evening, therefore, the
artisan proceeded to the queen s compound, and
indiscreetly entered the courtyard unaccompanied
by any of the household slaves, of whom none
were to be seen. Finally, after having spoken
to a chief he found inside, he returned to Mr.
Baldwin. It was a bright moonlight night, and
the two strolled about outside. During conversa-
tion the artisan described to Mr. Baldwin where
he had met the chief, illustrating the description
with a plan of the queen's compound traced on
the ground with his foot. This tite-ci'tke and
the ** mysterious '* signs on the ground were
noticed by some natives.

The Mokwai at the time was away with many

of her chiefs and people on a hunting expedition

on the other side of the river, but a messenger

was despatched to her at once apprising her of

the mysterious conduct of the white man at

Sesheke. The returning messenger ordered the

artisan and M. Goy — the latter as interpreter —

104

OUTRAGE ON A MISSIONARY

to proceed to her camp at once. The other
being unwell, Mr. Baldwin, unfortunately for
himself, offered to take his place and explain
matters to the superstitious queen. Each
missionary took with him a stool on which to
sit in the canoe, and if necessary afterwards.

On reaching the queen s camp they found her
surrounded by all her chiefs, awaiting their arrival,
and Mr. Baldwin was at once asked what he
meant by entering the queen's compound at
night and afterwards making signs on the
ground. He gave his explanation, which was
quickly followed by a violent harangue from a
chief accusing him of bewitching the queen's
compound. Then the infuriated black stepped
forward, and seizing Mr. Baldwins stool flung
it away. The outraged missionary regained his
stool, but before he could reseat himself a chorus
of voices expressed the opinion that the white
man had bewitched the queen, and added :

" Take the thing away, take the thing away.
Put it in the river.'*

Mr. Baldwin began to feel uncomfortable, and
M. Goy anxious for his friend's safety.

Then again voices broke out :

**You may sit on your stool, Meruti (M.
Goy) ; but as for you, sorcerer, you must sit
on the ground."

With this a general rush was made at the

unfortunate Mr. Baldwin. Some seized him by

105

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

the arms and some by the legs, and his coat was
torn from his back. Then M. Goy gallantly
ran to his friend's assistance as the infuriated
natives dragged him towards the river, and
clasping him round the body endeavoured to
rescue him ; but numbers were against them,
and Mr. Baldwin was not a fighting man, so
the two were soon dragged asunder. In a few
moments the condemned man was only about
twenty yards from the water's edge.

At this juncture the queens husband and
another chief shouted to their fellows to let the
white man go, but the excited mob took no notice,
and continued the movement towards the river,
which would undoubtedly have ended in a cold
bath for Mr. Baldwin had not the two protesting
chiefs rushed forward and applied their knob-
kerries vigorously to the skulls of the would-be
murderers until they were compelled to relax
their hold.

Sore and exhausted, the rescued missionary
was again brought before the queen, and com-
pelled to sit on the ground before her, while
the scorching sun played on his unprotected
head — for his hat had been taken from him.

Then the woman addressed him :

** You will not be put in the river, but slaves
have already gone out to cut wood. A hut
will be built for you in which you will be tied
and left to die."

106

"CHEQUES WILL DO"

Then turning to M. Goy :

**You, Meruti, may bring your stool and sit
near me."

** I will not do so, Mokwai," he answered,
"unless my friend is brought here also/'

Mr. Baldwin was forthwith led forward, but
made to stand bare-headed in front of the
queen.

Then M. Goy addressed the Mokwai firmly :

** Know this, Mokwai, you have done a bad
and foolish thing in making a white man sit in
the sand. Be careful how you behave, and
promise me one thing — never again to make a
white man sit on the ground."

Finally the woman began to recognise the
serious nature of her conduct, and promptly
began to "hedge."

" I will forgive you this time," she said,
addressing Mr. Baldwin, "and your life shall
be saved, but you must pay me a fine."

" I have no money," he replied.

"You are not speaking the truth. You must
have money, or how do you get all the things
you have brought with you ? "

"I do not use money ; I use cheques."

" What is a cheque ? " the lady enquired. Mr.

Baldwin then explained the use and method of a

cheque, which elicited the simple rejoinder from

the queen of the Marotse —

"Cheques will do."

107

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

" But my cheques are with my things at
Sesheke."

So the two missionaries were led off to a
bough-built shelter, where they were left for the
night, but they could not sleep. The excited
discussion among their savage persecutors was
not understood by Mr. Baldwin, but M. Goy
heard everything that was said with grave fear
for the life of his friend.

The great majority of the natives clamoured
for Mr. Baldwins blood, and were anxious to
carry out their wish at once. Fortunately the
few dissentients were influential chiefs, and finally
one of them approached M. Goy and told him
that they might sleep in peace, and that on the
morrow they would be sent to Sesheke.

Shortly after sunrise they were told the canoes
were ready. But when M. Goy saw that they
were to travel in separate canoes he refused to
leave unless allowed to accompany his friend, for
he feared they designed leaving him on some
island en route. Finally he gained his point,
and the two missionaries were landed safely at
Sesheke.

As might be expected, Mr. Baldwin was
knocked over by a serious attack of fever which
raged for three weeks. When recovering, he
sent a letter to Liwanika complaining of the
treatment he had received and the alleged cause
to justify it.

io8

**A VERY BAD WOMAN »»

The amusing feature about this serious episode
is that on the morning succeeding the queen sent
special messengers to Liwanika, apprising him of
a quarrel which had taken place between Meruti
Goy and one of the new missionaries, how that
they had attacked one another and fought so
furiously that one of them would have killed
the other had not her people with great difficulty
succeeded in separating them !

This arrived several days before Mr. Baldwin's
note, and caused M. Coillard, who was at Lialui,
much grief and anxiety ; for although he did not
believe the report in toto, he feared there must
have been something in it. However, his mind
was eventually set at rest when letters reached
him and the king.

Liwanika sent back a very good letter to Mr.
Baldwin saying how sorry he was to hear of his
ill-treatment, and telling him he was by no means
to pay any fine to the Mokwai, whom he stigma-
tised as ** a very bad woman." One of his
biggest chiefs was entrusted with the delivery
of this letter, and at the same time ordered to
express the king's anger and to vigorously
reproach his royal sister for her disgraceful
treatment of the white man.

A short time after leaving Nalolo the canoes

left the main river and proceeded up an overflow

stream which leaves the Zambezi five or six

miles north of Lialui and rejoins it at this point.

109

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

This Stream passes within a couple of miles of
Lialui, to which town a narrow canal has been
cut by the natives, which enables canoes to be
taken thither at the driest time of the year.

The next night I camped at the nearest point
to the mission station, not sorry at the prospect
of spending a week or so at a place where white
men were to be seen.

CHAPTER VII.

THE history of the Marotse is not without
interest, so I will endeavour to supply a
sequel to Livingstone's account of their con-
querors, the Makololo, on whose ruin the present
Marotse dynasty was founded. According to
Livingstone, the Makololo, who were paramount
in this country when he arrived there in 1850,
invaded the southern districts of the present
" empire " between the Kwando and Zambezi,
and known as Bosubia, in the early thirties.

The Makololo, a tribe kindred to the Basutos
occupying a district south of Bechuanaland of
to-day, quitted their country early in the present
century, and trekked northwards with all their
women, cattle and effects, settling at Ngami,
where they sojourned for a few years.

Their chief, Sebitwane, once more in search

of fresh conquests and pastures new, then led his

tribe still further north, crossed the Kwando and

subdued the Masubia, who in those days were an

independent tribe occupying the country in the

angle of the Kwando and Zambezi rivers and a

small district further north.

Ill

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

Of Sebitwane, Livingstone speaks in high
terms of praise, as an accomplished warrior and
leader of men ; he was also lenient with the tribes
he subdued, and administered justice with a fair-
ness and consideration unhappily so unusual
among native conquerors.

Having made himself master of the country
and persons of the Masubia, Sebitwane crossed
the Zambezi and led his people to the east
against the Matoka, who were in turn subdued.
The plateau of Botoka being high and healthy
suited the Makololo better than the swampy
country of Bosubia, and in consequence became
the headquarters of the tribe. At length a
Matabele impi crossed the river and took the
settlers by surprise, decamping with their cattle
and women. Sebitwane at once gathered all his
warriors together, followed the raiders and
defeated them, recovering the captives.

Knowing that Mosilikatse, the Matabele king,
would not accept this reverse without a vigorous
attempt at least to avenge the defeat of his impi,
Sebitwane wisely elected to increase the existing
space between his enemy and himself, and to
take advantage of an opportunity which offered
to render conquest easy in the far north.

Malunda, king of the Marotse, had recently
died, leaving three sons, but all too young for the
chieftainship. Rival claimants sprang up in
consequence and civil war broke out, with the

112

HISTORY OF THE MAROTSE

result that one of the would-be kings invited
Sebitwanes interference, and not in vain, for
shortly afterwards the Makololo were established
in Borotse as masters of the Marotse and their
dependents. Among these were the Mabunda,
who occupy country to both east and west of
Borotse, whither they had probably been driven
to right and left when the Marotse, apparently at
no very remote period, settled on the rich plains
they still inhabit. They, however, voluntarily
acknowledged the suzerainty of the Marotse king,
and thereby had privileges conferred upon them
by which they rank above the conquered tribes,
but are still denied the rights of chieftainship.

It is difficult to ascertain when the Marotse
settled in their present country, or whence they
came, though tradition says they travelled up the
Zambezi. They are of quite a different type
from any South African tribe, and no doubt
originally also emigrated from the north, but
probably many years subsequent to the invasion
of South Africa by its present inhabitants.

Besides the Mabunda, the Marotse were also
masters of many of the Matutela, whose country
is bounded by Bosubia on the south, and
separated from Borotse by Bokwenga, which is
situate in the Lui river districts, and whose
people were also among the subject tribes. It
was to these people, therefore, that Sebitwane
went first by invitation, but finally subdued by
I 113

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

force. Here his desires for conquest seem to
have stopped, and he set to work to consolidate
the large empire he had won by war.

On Sebitwane's death, which resulted from an
old wound in the lungs in 1850, his daughter
Ma-mochisane inherited the chieftainship in
accordance with her father's bequest. She, how-
ever, loved not power, and longed to be as other
women were. Thus she eventually insisted on
handing over her ruling rights to her brother,
Sekeletu, a youth of eighteen, whom Living-
stone describes as ** about 5 ft. 7 in., not so good-
looking nor able as his father, but equally friendly
to the English."

His reign was uneventful, and during the latter
part of it he was a sufferer from leprosy, to which
fell disease he ultimately succumbed after ruling
for some fourteen years. His uncle, Mbolowa, a
brother of Sebitwane, then claimed the chieftain-
ship, but held it for three months only. Rival
factions had now sprung into existence, and two
chiefs contested their claims to the supreme
power by force of arms. The house divided
against itself became weakened and fell ; for
when the Makololo had spilt their own blood
freely and relentlessly, and were no longer the
united, compact body they once were, the
Marotse, seeing their opportunity, seized it. In
a night the conquered people rose as one man
and murdered their masters, man, woman, and

114

HISTORY OF THE MAROTSE

child, saving only a few young women. Thus
in 1865, approximately, the present rulers of the
country re-established their control over their
former dominions, to which were added the
Makololo conquests in the south-east. A small
detachment of Makololo alone escaped the
country and made their way to Ngami, where
they were ostensibly received with kindness, but
subsequently treacherously murdered to a man.

There is something pathetic about this people s
history. A superior race had established a power-
ful black empire. In due course ambitious
personal rivalry crept in, gave birth to faction,
and resulted in annihilation, so that to-day all
that remains of the Makololo is their language
and their empire.

The Marotse, once more masters of the situa-
tion, looked about them for a head. In the north,
Sepopo, son of Malunda, king of Borotse to
within a few months of the Makololo invasion,
had lived in exile since as a child he fled before
Sebitwane s warriors. This man, a well set up
and dignified savage, was selected by the people
and invited to assume the chieftainship. He
subsequently established himself at Sesheke, and
for a short time ruled temperately and well.
Gradually, however, a cruel and savage nature
asserted itself, and he gave way to wanton and
unprovoked brutality. One of his favourite
forms of recreation was indulged in on the high

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

banks of the Zambezi, near the town of Sesheke
— ^which he mainly used as his headquarters in
order to be more in touch with traders from the
south. There he sat while his creatures threw
children into the river from canoes, and the
royal savage found amusement in watching the
helpless struggles of the unfortunate litde crea-
tures as they strove to reach the bank ; but what
pleased him best were the agonized, hopeless dis-
tortions of face as a child threw up its arms the
moment a crocodile had seized its victim.

The crocodiles of Sesheke remember those
days of repletion to the present time, and make
the boldest attempts to secure human flesh.
Scarcely a month passes during which a woman
or a thild drawing water is not seized; the
natives even find it necessary when in their
canoes to keep them on the move, lest a croco-
dile's tail should sweep one of them into the
water. One of my favourite amusements during
three sojourns at Sesheke was to sit on the
river bank with a Mannlicher and take shots at
the foreheads of these sneaking reptiles as they
appeared above the surface of the water, and I
confess to feelings of intense satisfaction when-
ever the bullet sent back that particular sound in
evidence of having done its duty.

In 1870, approximately, the Marotse grew

tired of Sepopo's rule, and open rebellion broke

out The king fled with a few faithful followers,

116

HISTORY OF THE MAROTSE

and would probably have made good his escape
had not the most trusted of these faithful ones
shot him in the back. He, however, managed to
reach the river, and entering a canoe endeavoured
to save himself by fleeing the country. But this
was not to be, for before he could reach the con-
fluence of the Kwando river death overtook him
— his wound proving fatal.

The tyrant Sepopo was succeeded by his
nephew Ngwanwina, son of Mokobeso, his elder
brother, whose right to succeed was in turn dis-
puted by Liwanika, son of Ditia, another brother
of Sepopo. Six months after Ngwanwinas
accession, the rival cousins, with their respective
adherents, met in battle on the banks of the
Lumbi river. The king was killed, his followers
routed, and Liwanika, the present ruler, reigned
in his stead.

The earlier years of Liwanikas reign were
marked by harshness and cruelty, and the burn-
ing of *' witches " was an almost daily occurrence.
On one occasion a cousin of his was seized, who
belonged to that class of political busybody
which is to be found in countries of every grade
of civilization. A small stockade was built
within a stone's-throw of the kings house at
Lialui, and the unfortunate man encaged therein
to die a lingering death from starvation under
the very eyes of friends and enemies alike. A
tree now marks the spot of this gruesome deed.

117

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

Liwanika had reigned about fifteen years when
one fine day he heard an uproar outside his
stockade, which soon proved to emanate from a
large concourse of excited subjects without. He
at once grasped the situation, seized a gun, and
made for the entrance of the surrounded kraal.
Shooting one or two of the mob nearest to him,
he boldly ordered the remainder to make way.
The crowd, completely taken by surprise, opened
to right and left, and before they had recovered
themselves the fugitive king had made good his
escape. Latia, his eldest son, then a boy of
thirteen or fourteen, managed to pass unnoticed
through the excited throng, and reached his
father unhurt. He was the sole survivor of
the king's children, all his brothers and sisters
having been murdered with their mothers.

Father and son with three or four followers
crossed the river, and fled to the Kwando. Here
the people received them well, and he remained
among them some months, by which time he had
collected enough followers to make it worth his
while to have another bid for power. Thus, at
the head of an army, he invaded Borotse, and
attacked Lialui itself The battle raged long
and fiercely, and for some time the issue seemed
doubtful. At last, however, the royal faction
showed signs of giving way, and defeat appeared
imminent. One ray of hope alone remained,
and the king grasped it. Some Portuguese

ii8

HISTORY OF THE MAROTSE

Mambari with their followers were encamped
near the town, having come on a mission to
trade for ivory and slaves. To these men
Liwanika sent a messenger, offering valuable
presents of ivory if they would but join in the
fight and win him the battle. The Mambari
responded with their guns, the rebels were dis-
comfited, and Liwanika ruled once more. That
night there was great jollification, feasting, drink-
ing, and no end of fun. The Mambari were
handsomely rewarded for their services, and
Liwanika is still king of the Marotse and sub-
ject tribes ; he is, however, quite a reformed
character now, and rules his people with a
leniency often construed by them into weakness.
After all, the harshness of his earlier years may
be forgiven him, for, to the African, born and
bred as he is in the midst of atrocities as his
fathers. were before him, no such sentiment exists
as feeling for others. My boys could never
understand why I should refuse to allow them
to roast a live land-turtle in the cinders, or
prevent them from levying mail on some helpless
woman returning to her kraal with the result of
a day s work. Sympathy with others cannot
be expected in individuals among a people in
whose heredity and surroundings such a senti-
ment is nowhere to be found. After eight or
ten generations of careful training it may be

otherwise, but the lower instincts of mankind

119

Exploration and hunting in central Africa

which for countless ages have represented the
sole characteristics of the native African cannot
be replaced in a single lifetime by those higher
feelings and aspirations which it has taken
centuries of expanding enlightenment to implant
and foster in civilized man.

The country directly and indirectly governed
by Liwanika is larger than the German Empire.
It is bounded on the south by the Zambezi and
Kwando rivers, on the west by the Kwando to,
or within a short distance of, its source, from
which point it is as yet impossible to define a
boundary, but it is approximately represented by
a line drawn north as far as the Congo- Zambezi
watershed which forms the northern boundary.
His eastern boundary is, roughly speaking, the
Kafukwe river, though in places tribes dwelling
to the east of that river acknowledge his suzer-
ainty. In the far north, of course, of so wide a
territory his authority is little more than nominal,
but is acknowledged in some shape or form. In
Guvale — Kangenge's country — for instance, near
the Zambezi source, a very old woman named
Makatolo or Nanakandundu, living in a town
called by her latter name, has for some years had
and still retains the privilege of nominating the
chief of Guvale when a vacancy occurs, but before
the nominee is confirmed in his appointment
Liwanika's sanction is necessary, and to obtain
this a deputation journeys to Lialui and waits
upon that important person.

1 20

CHAPTER VIII.

I SHALL now endeavour to describe the
eight tribes at the present time occupying
the southern half of Liwanika's empire, namely,
the Marotse, Mabunda, RTakwenga, Matutela,
Masubia, Matoka, Mankoya, and Mashikolumbwe.
On crossing the Zambezi I was much struck
by the general dissimilarity in appearance, manner,
and custom of these Central African tribes to
their cousins in the South. In colour they are
intensely black, and allow their woolly hair to grow
much longer than is customary among South
Africans. Physically speaking they are above
the average ; some magnificent specimens, especi-
ally among the Marotse and Masubia, are to be
met with. Their capability for work either as
paddlers or carriers is all that can be desired, and
when well fed and kept under control they are
not so unwilling to exert that capability as might
be expected. On one occasion I took my porters
53^ miles in thirty-seven hours, and on another
142 miles in eight days, each boy carrying at
least fifty pounds. On one of these days only

seven miles were traversed, so that the average

121

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

daily rate of travel for the remaining seven was
only a fraction under twenty miles, and that for
the most part over a sandy country.

If fed well and treated consistently I am
inclined to think desertions among the porters
from these tribes need not be feared so long as
they are not led beyond the borders of their
country. My own experience tends to prove
this, though a single case must not be cited
in conclusive proof of a principle — for until
entering the Mashikolumbwe country, when all
but two of my porters left me, I had not a single
case of desertion ; and I am not inclined to lay
much stress on the case of the boys who left
me there, when taking into consideration the
extravagant dread these naked savages, with their
poisoned arrows and murderous tendencies, in-
spired among their neighbours.

All the tribes cultivate different kinds of cereals,
cassava, pumpkins, and water-melons. Some
districts are more pastoral than others, which is to
be expected in a country so infested with tsetse
fly. Where this little pest makes the herding of
cattle impossible the natives are deprived of
milk, which in its curded form is one of the
African's principal articles of diet ; thus a more
extensive cultivation of cereals becomes a ne-
cessity.

The cattle belonging to the Marotse, and dis-
tributed by them throughout the various centres

122

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PEOPLE

in the Zambezi basin, are of a large breed when
in a pure state, but those of the Matoka and
Mashikolumbwe are abnormally small — many
cows not exceeding thirty-six inches in shoulder
measurement. As a consequence of cattle raids
in the days before these countries were incor-
porated as part of the Marotse kingdom, the
introduction of this small breed among the large
cattle of Borotse has in many instances given the
herds a very mixed and uneven appearance.

The sheep — as in South Africa — grow hair in-
stead of wool, but do not attain to half the weight
of the southern breed, though apart from size
they are identical. The goat, too, is a miniature
counterpart of the South African variety.

Dug-out canoes are used on the Zambezi, and
differ much in length and width in proportion as
the hard, redwood trees out of which they are
hewn vary in size. The paddles are long, with
narrow blades about five inches wide, and are used
as punting- poles whenever the depth of water
will permit. The canoes used by the Mashiko-
lumbwe on the Kafukwe river are deeper and
shorter in proportion to their width ; while their
paddles are much shorter and have twice the
width of blade, the shape of which is almost
oval and tapering to a point at the end.

The arms used in common by all the tribes

are the assegai and a half-moon shaped battle-axe

of the usual native manufacture ; but in addition

123

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

comparatively free from attack, and partly because
it is their invariable custom, when danger threatens,
to take to their canoes and hide away among
the islands, to which they ferry their women and
everything of value when danger is apprehended.
Mosilikatse, the Matabele king, in the forties
sent an impi after Sebitwane to avenge a former
failure of one of his raiding expeditions when the
Makololo were settled on the Matoka plateau.
In this instance the Makololo took to the river,
and were not only free from danger, but succeeded
in leading many of the Matabele warriors into a
trap. The raiders had seized some canoes and
natives, which had, in reality, been purposely
allowed to fall into their hands ; and after com-
pelling their captives to ferry them across in
batches to an island on which a few goats had
been placed as a bait, they found themselves
abandoned and deprived of means to return to
the mainland.

When hunger had sufficiently weakened them,
they fell an easy prey to the battle-axes of the
Makololo. The remainder of the impi were
compelled to retreat, and few returned to Bula-
wayo to tell the tale of disaster. This is the last
occasion on which the Matabele have attempted
to raid the Makololo or their successors, the
Marotse ; though almost annually, of recent years,
they have crossed the river further east and

preyed on the Matoka and Mashikolumbwe.

126

TRIAL AND PUNISHMENT FOR WITCHCRAFT

Like all other primitive and ignorant people
they are extremely superstitious, and witchcraft
is attributed to some unfortunate man or woman
as the direct cause of disaster or death. The
prevailing treatment meted out to the person
condemned of exerting evil charms was, until
Liwanika discountenanced the practice*, cruel in
the extreme. In the case of anyone accused of
witchcraft or suspected of any other crime, the
" ordeal of hot water " was resorted to, by which
the accused was compelled to submerge his hands
in boiling water. If, subsequently, the skin peeled
off, he was guilty, and condemned, if accused
of witchcraft, to the flames. The unfortunate
victim was hung by the feet from the branch of
a tree, under him a large fire made, and roasted
to death. The people stood round silently watch-
ing the effect of the fire until the heat caused
the bursting of the entrails. At this point the
evil spirit was supposed to have been burned out
and was the signal for much dancing, shouting,
and excitement. Ka-ke, " by the bursting of the
entrails," is the usual oath among the Marotse
and their subjects at the present time. It is to
be hoped that under the more enlightened rule of
Liwanika and his successors the painfully horrible
ordeal which gave rise to this oath will never be
repeated.

A very much more humane method of murder

is undoubtedly still resorted to occasionally.

127

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

Macumba, the late chief of the Sesheke district
— a drunken old scoundrel — died just before I
reached the river. One of his wives, who at the
time was at Kazungula, sixty miles away, was
accused of compassing her lord's death by exer-
cising an evil charm over him. A party of men
went to her hut one night intent on " putting her
under the river reeds." She, however, made
good her escape and fled to the mission station,
where she found an asylum until next morning,
when Latia, without whose knowledge the attempt
to drown the woman had been made, gave the
order that she was not to be further molested.

Perhaps a more brutal form of administering the
death sentence even than roasting was that which
has at times been resorted to by these savages.
The condemned were occasionally — I say were,
because I understand this cruel practice has been
put an end to — besmeared with honey, tied down
near a nest of **serui," or carnivorous ants, and
left to be consumed by degrees. Can a more
awful death be imagined ? Surely man can sur-
pass the whole brute creation in the exercise of
brutality and cruelty !

Tobacco is taken in the form of snuff by all
but the Mashikolumbwe and Mankoya, who
smoke it in pipes. Occasionally individuals resort
to the smoking of dagga, a weed much used by
South Africans, inhaling whose smoke produces
intoxication ; it is, however, by no means generally

128

ORNAMENTS AND CHAINS

used by the Upper Zambezi tribes, and I have
frequently heard natives deprecate its use as " not
good." The general snuff-box is made from the
dried hollow shell of a small pear-shaped fruit,
but the empty shells of solid drawn cartridges
are in great demand for this purpose, and conse-
quently come in very useful for the purchase of
the smaller necessaries of life or as presents in
return for trifling services.

Beads, strung into necklaces or anklets, are the
most popular ornaments worn, though metal
bracelets and anklets are not uncommon. The
most highly valued of all ornaments, however, is
the cupa^ which is hung by a cord round the neck.
The cupa is the fossilised base of a conical shell,
and seems mainly to have been imported from
the west coast, though I have heard it is to be
found in the bed of the Kwando river. This
charm is as white as ivory and circular in shape,
with spiral grooves and ridges in its surface
working from the centre, as in the case of the
firework known as the ''Catherine wheel." The
owner of one of these ornaments, if accused of
any crime, forthwith lays it at his chiefs feet and
receives pardon. So, too, the miscreant who
reaches and throws himself on the king's drums
— huge wooden cylinders with skin stretched
over their top end — claims sanctuary, so to speak,
and escapes punishment.

It is not customary for women and men to sit
K 129

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

together in public. In cases, for instance, when
the inhabitants of a village, prompted by feelings
of curiosity, turned up in force to see that rara
avis the white man, and watch his idiosyncrasies,
the men would squat on their haunches in one
row and behind them the women with their
infants would half kneel, half sit, in a line three
or four yards behind.

These Upper Zambezi natives, like the Masar-
was and many other African tribes, worship the
sun as the visible sign of a great unseen God,
and have been described to me by a missionary
as a very religious people. On the eve of battle
they petition their deity ; prior to starting on a
hunting expedition they pray for success; and
when they plant their gardens they ask for the
blessings of Niambe (God), though it must be
confessed they seem to busy themselves much
more in their endeavours to propitiate the evil
spirits to whose malice they attribute all deaths
as well as the troubles and misfortunes of this
mortal life.

In obeisance to the sun they kneel on the
ground and lower the body until the forehead
rests on the earth. They have also a purifying
ceremony, in the performance of which they stand
in shallow water and with the palm of the hands
outwards throw water over the face and body.
This obeisance and ceremony is also used in
doing honour to their king, but in this case water

SALUTES

is not actually thrown, though the form of doing
so is imitated. These more elaborate compli-
ments, however, are only resorted to on special
occasions, such as the first reception of subjects
coming in from a distance, or after an event of
unusual importance reflecting credit on their
king or in some degree calling for a loyal demon-
stration. In these circumstances the men will
advance in line till within twenty yards of the
royal presence, when sinking on the knees the
head is lowered to the ground (chiefs only bend
half-way). This they do several times, and
between each the hands are clapped some half-
dozen times, quickening up towards the end.
They then rise together and, in chorus, go through
the form of throwing water over their bodies, and
each time the hands are uplifted shout ** Yo-ho."
After this they sit down and the interview begins.
The king and his deputies in the provinces are
always approached by their subjects on hands
and knees. They clap their hands to give notice
of approach before sinking to the ground, and
when their destination is reached they kneel down,
the hind-quarters resting on the heels, and pro-
ceed to clap. This clapping of hands is the
recognised salute throughout the country. The
man in clapping throws his finders back, the first
one being free and limp, the remaining three rigid
and close together. In the woman's clap all the
fingers are limp, the fingers and thumb of the

131

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

right hand falling between the thumb and fore-
finger of the left. So far as clothes are con-
cerned all the tribes under discussion are similarly
attired, with the exception of the Mashikolumbwe,
who prefer to do without clothing in any shape or
form. Males wear a belt usually made of snake
skin round the waist, while, hanging from this
belt, fore and aft, is a " brayed " cat, jackal, or
small antelope skin. Females wrap an antelope
or ox skin round the loins, which reaches from the
waist to the knees.

The skin is ** brayed" or prepared by the
process of rubbing when damp, and working with
the hands until the fibres become ruptured and
the skin rendered pliable in consequence. A well
brayed skin is as soft as wash-leather.

Sitzibas, when procurable, are adopted by the

men in place of skins. A sitziba, literally six feet

of calico, is passed through the belt in front, then

between the legs, and through the belt behind,

thus leaving about a couple of feet of calico to

hang down in front, which covers the body from

thigh to thigh, and behind in like manner. By no

means the least interesting feature in my travels

through this "empire" of Liwanika lay in the

distinct tribal characteristics and customs which

distinguish the different tribes amongst whom

I travelled one from another. Having given

a general description of Liwanika s subjects as a

whole, or rather such as inhabit the country from

132

THE MAROTSE

the 15th parallel to his southern boundary line,
I will now endeavour to enumerate the dis-
tinguishing features of each tribe as compiled
from missionary and native information as well
as personal observation, which latter in many
cases confirmed and in others augmented such
local ethnographical knowledge as had been
acquired second-hand.

The Marotse are the paramount and governing
tribe, and in common with the Masubia, and
people living in the more central districts of the
kingdom speak Sesuto — the language of their
former conquerors the Makololo, from whom
they acquired it.

Borotse, a flat, treeless plain, extending from
16° 18' S. Lat. for some 150 miles northwards,
and lying on both sides of the Zambezi, is
the England of Liwanika's empire. Lialui, the
king's headquarters and principal town, stands to
the east of the river in 15° 13' 7" S. Lat. and
25 miles north of Nalolo, which is the town of
the queen, his eldest sister, who shares in the
government of the country.

The Marotse are above the average height,
broad and well built, very black, have good
features, and are more heavily bearded than
most Africans. In manner dignified and cour-
teous, the Marotse is an adept in the art of
deceit and singularly regardless of the virtue
of telling the truth — a general failing shared by

133

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

the subjugated tribes. He will not only lie to
deceive, but he will — if well disposed — lie to
please. Here is an instance which recurred
more than once in my own experience of the
latter species of untruth.

To describe distance the trajectory principle
is resorted to, and the arm is extended horizon-
tally to indicate a place very close indeed, but
raised another 45 degrees when alluding to a
place many miles away, intermediate angles of
course describing intermediate distances.

Tramping along in the hot sun, and looking
both warm and thirsty, a native is encountered
and asked how far ahead the next water is.
Knowing perfectly well that the nearer the water
the better pleased will the hot-looking traveller
be, the black arm is extended horizontally, and
its owner remarks blandly, '* Manzt koufe ka*'
(water is close to there), and the thirsty traveller
is happy, thanks the nigger for his good news,
and continues his journey ; but so far from
camping round the corner, he finds he has to
tramp probably five or six miles further before
water is reached.

The peculiar industry of the Marotse is
wood-carving. Considering the tools used their
work is marvellous, and the carving in admir-
able taste. An iron tool, very much like a
stone-chisel, with a short wooden handle at-
tached, is used to hack the block roughly into

134

THE MABUNDA AND MAKWENGA

the shape desired, after which it is fined down
and carved with what is, or may easily be
mistaken for, the head of an assegai. In this
way stools, head-rests, bowls, dishes, spoons,
covered vessels, and knife - handles are most
cleverly turned out The majority, after comple-
tion, are blackened and given a dull polish ; but
occasionally — especially where redwood is used
— a pattern in black and red supplies the
finishing touch.

Liwanika devotes himself to this art, and
spends much of his spare time at the bench.
It seems probable that the Marotse, who are the
only tribe in the " empire " who do fancy wood-
work, learned the art from their temporary
masters, the Makololo, whose kin the Basutos
are likewise very clever at the craft.

Many Marotse allow their teeth to remain
normal, though not a few file the inside edges
of the two front upper teeth in such a way as
to form a reversed V. Some of the women
scar-tattoo circles in blue round each eye.

To the east and also to the west of the
northern part of Borotse are the Mabunda.
They are inferior in type to their lords and
masters, are shorter in stature, but thick -set.
Basket-work and mat -making are monopolised
by these people, and exchanged for other articles
with their neighbours. Their work is extremely
good, and the closer -worked baskets will hold

135

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

water. Brown and black stains are used in
pattern.

The Makwenga, who inhabit the Lui districts,
are presumably the same tribe as has been
referred to by previous travellers as Ba-lui — the
people of the Lui. It has been said that these
people are one and the same as the Marotse;
but in face of the fact that they are totally
different in physique and appearance, and of
a distinctly inferior type, the theory can scarcely
claim attention. They narrowly resemble the
Matutela in appearance, were once an important
tribe, but at the present day, numerically and
otherwise, are of less account than any other
of the eight tribes.

Immediately to the east, and inhabiting the
large district bounded on the north by the
Motondo and Lumbi watershed, on the south by
the Zambezi, and narrowing to a point as far east
as the Matoka plateau, the Matutela are to be
found. These people are the iron-workers, and
canoe-builders of this black ** empire."

Nearly all the assegais, knives and axes are
made by them, and are carried in trade to the
Marotse in the west and the Mashikolumbwe in
the east The Matutela procure their ore and
smelt it in a district lying between the Njoko
and Lumbi rivers. In a subsequent chapter
a description is given of a Matutela blacksmith
at work, of whom I took a sketch from which

156

THE MATUTELA AND MASUBIA

Mr. Charles Whymper has reproduced a descrip-
tive illustration.

The large red wood trees from which canoes
are hewn are mainly found in Botutela, and for
this reason they occupy an important position in
the ** ship-building" industry. These people dis-
figure themselves by knocking out the two front
upper teeth.

The upper class Matutela is a good-looking
savage — tall, slight, and upright in figure — more
narrowly resembling the Sikhs than any other
African tribe I have travelled among. Especially
near their eastern boundary is this type to be
seen, most of them wearing pointed beards and
allowing their woolly hair to grow somewhat long.

The Masubia occupy the country in the angle
of the Kwando and Zambezi, and also the Sesheke
and Kazung^la districts on the north of the river,
extending west to where the Zambezi commences
its more easterly course. They have no manu-
facturing industry except that of pottery, which
all Africans make for their own household pur-
poses. Fishing, hunting, and paddling supply
their chief, if not sole, occupation.

As paddlers they are particularly useful, and
among this class men of the most perfect
physique are to be met with — tall, broad, and
deep-chested, they are at the same time athletic
and active. In feature the better-class Masubia
is refined, has comparatively thin lips, and

137

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

frequently a nose almost of Grecian type. I
would call attention in the photograph reproduced
on page 8 to a native walking towards the water.
He is one of the finest samples I have seen,
and stood about 6ft. lin.

There were large numbers and varieties of
game in Bosubia before the rinderpest swept
the country.

The gresLt hunts are undertaken in the summer
when the river overflows her banks, and such
game as pookoo, lechwe, and reedbuck are
concentrated and penned up in large numbers on
patches of rising ground, which alone remain
high and dry above the flood. Every available
canoe is manned, and the whole party is landed
first on one and then on another of these
temporary islands. The game is surrounded and
butchered in hundreds with assegais.

Another method, which is more in vog^e for
the purpose of securing buffalo and the larger
class of antelope, is the pitfall. A pit is dug
about twelve feet long by four wide, narrowing
down to some eighteen inches at the bottom, and
with a depth of five or six feet. The hole is
covered with boughs, on which g^rass and earth
are laid in turn. These traps are usually laid at
the edge of a game track, which is blocked by
bush in order to compel some unwary animal to
deviate from the narrow path and fall into
destruction. When once in the pit the game

138

THE M ATOKA

becomes wedged in, and nothing can save him.
Another and more sporting method of hunting
among these people I noticed while in their
country. Two long fences form an angle of
90 degrees, at the point of which a scant thorn
fence conceals a number of iron -headed stakes
fixed firmly in the ground at an angle of 45
degrees, and, of course, pointing towards the
angle where the fences converge. Close by
natives with assegais conceal themselves, and
when an extended line has driven the game
forward they rise and scare the animals, as guided
by the fence they bolt, clear the low fence, and
in many cases are transfixed by the sharp iron
blades placed to receive them. Then the hunters
rush in and wet their assegais in the blood of
their quarry.

The Matoka boundary may be roughly defined
by taking a northerly line from the Zambezi some
twenty miles east of the Kwando-Zambezi con-
fluence to represent their western, and the
Zambezi itself from that point to where the
Kafukwe flows into it, as the southern boundary,
while the Mashikolumbwe, who occupy a strip of
country along the south side of the Kafukwe
basin, are their northern neighbours from the
Nanzela to the Kafukwe-Zambezi confluence.

The Matoka are strongly built, above the

average height, almost beardless, and with

features of a rounder type than their western

139

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

or northern neighbours. Like the Matutela,
they disfigure themselves by knocking out the
front upper teeth.

Though the southern Matoka keep a certain
number of cattle, the northern section of the
tribe is unable to do so owing to the prevalence of
the tsetse fly ; in consequence they are dependent
on agriculture for maintenance, and in the rich
valleys that intersect the high, healthy plateau on
which they dwell, cereals, cassava and marrows
are extensively grown.

In the future white settlement their country
and they themselves will be of value to the
settlers. They . make excellent porters, and
readily engage themselves to work ; in fact, the
"boys," who are known sometimes as "Zambezi"
and sometimes as " Borotse boys " in Rhodesia,
Kimberley, and Johannesburg, are almost entirely
drawn from Botoka. So far as the Marotse are
concerned it is probable that Latia and his staff,
who in 1895 visited Bulawayo to interview the
Administrator, are practically the only members
of this tribe who have travelled so far south.

At one time the Matoka were one of the most
powerful of the Upper Zambezi tribes, but their
power was first broken by the robber impis
of Mosilikatse, from which time a Matabele
incursion became almost an annual occurrence
until, in 1893, one of the most cruel scourges
that ever raided, murdered, and devastated was

140

A MATABELE RAID

paralyzed for ever by the forces of the Char-
tered Company.

The testimony of a Makalaka boy, the son
of an important chief, who accompanied the
last Matabele impi raid into Botoka in the
early part of 1893, ^s perhaps not out of place,
as showing the method of warfare carried on
by these bloodthirsty hordes within a radius of
several hundred miles of their centre.

Just as grey dawn heralded the approach
of the rising sun, a cordon of these savages
surrounded and closed in on the doomed village.
When cover was no longer available to conceal
the advance, these myrmidons of devilry, at a
given sign, sprang to their feet and with hellish
yells dashed into the village and plunged their
assegais into anything of flesh and blood that
came within their reach. Some few would make
a bolt for life, but the remainder, surprised and
cowed by incalculable odds, would offer no resist-
ance to their cruel fate. When these raiders
had tired of slaughter, the survivors were
ordered to stand in a long line. Along this
line a ** noble " savage, battle-axe in hand, would
walk, and while the young women and those
children who were old enough to stand a 500
mile tramp to Bulawayo, yet not too old to
be bred up as warriors to prey in years to come
on their own flesh and blood, were ordered to

"fall out,*' those whose sex or age rendered

141

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

them useless from their conquerors* point of view
were struck to the ground. Is it possible to
imagine a more cruel and horrible state of things?
Even the boy who described this scene added,
" I enjoyed the fighting, but the killing after-
wards made my heart sick."

And yet there were not wanting in this
civilized country of ours ** humanitarians" who
used every means in their power to raise a
crusade of undeserved censure and ill-feeling
against those of their fellow-countrymen who
gallantly in 1893 ^^^ again in 1895 lost or risked
their lives in the struggle for existence, empire,
and humanity with these ruthless savages ! Natu-
rally this was a small and unimportant section
of "philanthropy," but it made a big noise —
it was the criticism by those who sit and talk
and write of men who act. Fair criticism does
no good cause harm ; but there are critics who
care only to believe the uncharitable, and greedily
gfulp down any evidence in favour of this
tendency, quite regardless of the source from
which the information is derived.

The country of the Mankoya is bounded on
the south by Botutela, and the east by Boshi-
kolumbwe, and includes the country drained by
the Luena river.

They have different ways of treating their

hair and teeth, according to the district they

occupy. The general fashion in hairdressing is to

142

THE MANKOYA

grease each curl of wool into a straight streak,
which hangs over and around the head like so
many ends of greasy cord. The Marunga, how-
ever, a sub-tribe who occupy the Luena district,
allow the hair to grow long, comb it out, and
trim it in such a manner as to give it the ap-
pearance of a thick, rounded, woolly wig, placed
busby-like on the head and covering the ears
and the greater part of the forehead. A cowrie
or other charm is fastened on in front. I met
some of these tribesmen on the Upper Njoko,
who had travelled thither with skins to exchange
with the Matutela for assegai heads and iron
work.

The teeth of the Mankoya, both back and
front, are filed to a point, and thus present the
appearance of a couple of rows of shark's teeth.
I have, however, seen many Mankoyas with all
their teeth intact; those, too, who dwell on the
borders of Boshikolumbwe, and are subject to
Mashikolumbwe chiefs, are compelled to conform
to their masters' dental customs, but retain their
own method of wearing the hair.

The Mankoya are a tribe of hunters, and
devote all their time and energies to the pursuit
of game. They are the only tribe of the eight
whose country I touched who produce fire by
means of flint. Their tobacco is taken in the
form of smoke, and like the Mashikolumbwe, they
use the bow and poisoned arrow.

143

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

The Mashikolumbwe, who occupy a large
country extending along both sides of the
Kafukwe from a short distance above its con-
fluence with the Zambezi to beyond the fifteenth
parallel, are quite the most hopeless savages it
is possible to conceive. Their characteristics
can but be described by a series of adjectives —
stark-naked, lazy, dirty, treacherous, lying. In
colour they are somewhat lighter than other
Upper Zambezi tribes, and their physique is
good. They have no paramount chief among
their own people, but many, for purposes of
policy, nominally acknowledge the supremacy of
Liwanika, to whom the chiefs send an annual
tribute, and thereby run no risk of being raided
by the powerful Marotse chiefs warriors.

The peculiar head-dress of the Mashikolumbwe
is worn by no other tribe. The wool is only
allowed to grow on a circular patch on the upper
part of the back of the head. This is mixed
with gum and wool from their women^s heads,
which are close-cut, and moulded into a semi-
spherical chignon. The four front upper teeth
and all the back lower jaw teeth are knocked
out. This operation is peformed on the child
when about eight or ten years of age, in a very
rough and ready manner. The pointed end of
an axe-head is placed against the tooth, and to
the edge extremity a stone is applied until the

teeth break away !

144

THE MASHIKOLUMBWE

These people have no industry, and live in
the finest country I have seen in Africa. They
occasionally catch game in pitfalls, similar to
but longer than those of the Masubia already
described. If an antelope falls into one of these
traps they eat him, but they are much too lazy
to undertake hunting of a more active type. In
spite of the fact that before the rinderpest broke
out their country teemed with game, they pre-
ferred to live on wild roots dug from the earth
by their women to securing meat at the expense
only of a little exertion.

CHAPTER IX.

EARLY in the morning, after everything
was packed and the canoes loaded, I
started off across the plain for the mission station
which was to be seen crowning a mound some
two miles away. The canoes had to be taken
quite five miles to reach the same point, so were
sent off independently.

The mission station was reached just as the
missionaries and their wives were adjourning for
breakfast.

There were congregated my friends M. and
Mdme. Goy, M. and Mdme. Louis Jalla, as well
as M. David, whom I had met at Palapye,
in Khama's country. These gentlemen were
assembled in conference with their brother
missionaries, MM. Coillard and Adolph Jalla, of
Lialui, and M. Biguile, of Nalolo.

It was quite refreshing to sit down once more
on a chair in front of a white table-cloth and
surrounded by white faces.

Finding that each and all of these gentlemen
(three Italians, two Swiss, and one Frenchman)
spoke excellent English, I was spared the trouble

146

THE MISSION STATION AT LIALUI

of supplying my very scant, rusty stock of French
words and sentences. My good friends tried
vainly from time to time to compel conversation
in French, but when understood got English in
return, when otherwise, a simple "Je ne com-
prends pas"; till M. Coillard, a highly-cultured
French gentleman, who spoke perfect English —
his late wife was a Scotch lady — ^good-naturedly
administered the reproach :

" You Englishmen are so proud, you expect all
other nations to learn your language and don't
take the trouble to learn theirs."

I laughed, and explained that not pride but
the want of that facility for acquiring foreign
languages which continental nations possess to
so marked a degree, is mainly responsible for our
failure as linguists, adding :

"What is the good of my murdering your
language when you can all speak mine so
fluendy ? "

" Tut, tut ! it is all pride and laziness."

And yet how many of us in France, after rack-
ing our brains to express our thoughts in correct
French, have been answered in English as good
as our own ! And still we are blamed I

After breakfast M. Jalla despatched a messenger
to Liwanika, apprising him of my arrival and of
my wish to greet him.

A reply was returned that the king would be
glad to see me any time I should call. Thus it

147

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

was arranged that M. Adolph Jalla, having kindly
consented to act as interpreter, should accompany
me in the cool of the evening.

In the middle of the town of Lialui a strong
circular palisade about ten feet high encloses the
private premises of Liwanika. In the centre
stands an oblong hut about forty-five feet by
twenty, substantially built and well thatched
with coarse grass. Here the king himself lives.
Opposite is a smaller oblong building open in
front ; native-made mats cover the floor and
decorate the back and side walls. In this
shelter the king usually receives and gossips
with his chiefs on matters trivial and important
Immediately inside the palisade is a circle of huts
of the usual round native pattern. Each of these
is occupied by a royal wife, of whom there are
fourteen, though not very long ago the ladies of
the harem numbered twenty. Liwanika is a
regular attendant at church, but has not become
a professed Christian on account of the wife
difficulty. However, when a wife dies, or for
any other reason loses her position in the royal
household, the king does not replace her as he
used to do.

I recollect M. Coillard telling me of a con-
versation he had with Liwanika on this subject
One of his wives had embraced Christianity, and
her lord very generously sent her home to her

family.

148

THE WIFE DIFFICULTY

When apprising M. Coillard of this action he
added with apparent self-satisfaction :

** And now I have only fourteen left."

** But what about the other thirteen, Liwanika? "
the missionary asked.

** I should very much like to have one wife," he
answered, **who could look after my house and
keep everything clean and comfortable, as the
white man's wife does, but it is impossible for
me. So-and-so is my favourite wife, but she is
delicate and could not look after things. And
then there's So-and-so, she's too lazy, and So-
and-so, she 's so dirty " ; and thus he went
through the list, but failed to find one capable
of superintending his domestic affairs.

M. Jalla led the way to the king s house, where
he disappeared to seek out his black majesty and
inform him of my arrival.

Shortly a tall, very black man appeared. He
wore a light coat, a patterned waistcoat, and a
pair of tweed trousers. A low, broad-brimmed,
white felt hat protected his head, and a well-
fitting pair of boots his feet. The upper lip and
cheeks were shaven, and a pointed beard, curly
and crisp, covered the chin. Altogether I was
struck by the neatness and cleanliness of the
person, but still more so by the courteous, easy
manner in which the hat was raised and head
bowed as their owner advanced to meet me.
After shaking hands and exchanging the usual

149

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

compliments, Liwaaika led us to his house,
opened the door, and with an easy bow waved
us in. The receiving room — which was par-
titioned off by walls eight feet high, above
which the free action of the air was not
interfered with from one end of the hut to the
other — was carpeted and decorated with native-
made mats, like the outside shelter alluded to
above. These mats are very neady worked in
divers patterns with stained and natural grass.
Round the walls a few cheap coloured prints and
ornaments were hung, including a small clock of
the inexpensive kind.

Our host next seated himself in a large
straight -backed arm-chair, after he had first
griven M. Jalla a seat on his left, and placed
me in a rickety Portuguese chair on his right

The first sentence which M. Jalla interpreted
to me was not very reassuring.

"The king says you must sit quiedy in that
chair, or else it will very probably collapse."

Liwanika's head was now uncovered, and a
neatly -combed crop of wool fully exposed to
sight. An ornament carved in ivory was stuck
in the left side of this fuzzy coiffurCy and looked
very white amid its black surroundings.

I determined at the outset to clear up the mis-
understanding which it would appear, from the
letter sent me four days earlier, existed between
Liwanika and myself, so went straight to the

ISO

FIRST VISIT TO LIWANIKA

point. *' I left Kazungula with your permission
to travel up the river, and to hunt on the way.
Canoes and boys were given me by your son
Latia. Why, then, did you send me a letter
saying I was hunting without your permission?
There must be a misunderstanding somewhere."

" Oh, that is all right," said the king. " Now
that you are here, and have come to see me, we
will forget all about the letter. When I sent
it, I was afraid you were not coming to see me.
My people told me you had turned back to hunt
lions at Sesheke. Besides, messengers came
from the Njoko, which are the king's preserves,
saying you had killed a great deal of game there
and all the way along the river, and left their
bodies to rot on the veldt This made me
angry."

•' Had I known the Njoko was a king's pre-
serve, I would not have hunted there without
your special permission. But no one told me, so
how was I to know ? Still I killed very little
game there — only just enough to feed my boys.
Your people lie when they say the bodies of
game I have killed were left to rot on the veldt.
There is no corn in the country, so I had to kill
more than I would have done had I been able
to buy food, otherwise my boys would have
starved. These boys, who are your servants,
will tell you that no meat has been wasted;
they will even tell you that I have often passed

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

game and refused to kill it when they asked
me to."

"I am glad to hear from your lips," he
answered, "that these reports are not true. It is
not good to waste meat I believe what you tell
me. My people often tell me things that are not
true."

" Before I leave you I will bring my book in
which I write everything, and I will tell you what
I have killed. You will then know for yourself."

" I should very much like to hear about all the
game you have killed. They tell me you killed
two lions at Sesheke, and one of them tried to
kill you, but you shot him close to your feet ; tell
me about the lions.'*

And so I had to kill the lion and lioness over
again for the royal edification. Then, alluding to
a party of American prospectors, who in demand-
ing to be ferried across the river at Kazungula
had, it is to be regretted, made use of unjustifiable
and quite unnecessary threats to Latia, he said :

" These people treat men like beasts. I do not
want such white men as these in my country."

"When I heard from the meruti (missionary)
at Kazungula," I answered, " I was angry that
they should have behaved so badly. You must
not, however, think these white men are English.
They are no more English than you and your
people are Matabele. There are good black men
and bad black men ; so there are good white men

152

A THIEF IN THE NIGHT

and bad white men. You must learn to discrimi-
nate between the two." And thus we talked,
finally lapsing into general topics of no particular
interest.

After bidding farewell I returned to a spacious
double-walled hut, which Liwanika had ordered
to be placed at my disposal. A fence of reeds
eight feet high surrounded the scrupulously clean
yard, cemented in the usual manner with a
mixture of the earth from ant-heaps and cow-
dung. At the far extremity of this yard was
another and smaller hut. In the evening a
native arrived with a bowl of new milk. The
king had set aside a cow for my special use
during my stay, and every day — night and
morning — this native arrived with the bowl of
milk.

That night I was aroused from sleep by a
rattling noise in the corridor of the hut. As I
rose a black form bounded through the doorway
and disappeared. The dog — for such it was —
had not only upset my milk in his attempt to
remove the lid of the tin which contained it,
but, as my boy Pony informed me in the
morning, had during this or another and more
successful visit walked off with a bag which
contained buffalo biltong and sweet potatoes ;
and, in spite of the fact that the bag was un-
fastened, neither sweet potato nor piece of
biltong had been shed. A truly marvellous

I S3

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

dog indeed, as I thought when I asked Pony
if the dog had four legs or only two !

The next three days were almost entirely
spent within the cool double walls of the hut,
for the heat of the midday sun while passing
through the Marotse plain, coupled with the
lack of exercise consequent on the absence of
anything to hunt, had brought on an attack of
congestion of the liver.

Of course I had plenty of visitors during
these few days. Nearly all the Marotse in
Lialui deemed it their duty to visit my court-
yard, greet me with the usual *' Lumela, N'tate,"
squat down and look at me for a matter of
minutes, then rise and depart.

One boy between thirty and thirty-five years of
age rather interested me. After a brief conver-
sation with him in the language of the country,
he broke out in quite good English.

" You speak English, then, do you ? " I asked.

**Yes, sir, I speak a little English."

" Where have you been to learn English ?
You did not learn it in Borotse."

And then came his history. He was a
Matoka by birth, but when quite a litde boy
the Matabele raided his village, killed his father,
mother, and all his relatives, carrying him away
with the young women and those children who
were old enough to stand the journey south
and yet not too old to be trained as warriors^

154

BEN THE MATOKA

For a short time he remained a child-slave of
Mosilikatse, the father of Lobengula and founder
of the Matabele power. He was then given
as a present by the Matabele king to Mr.
Mackenzie, a missionary, who sent him to the
native school of Lovedale in the Cape Colony
to be educated. Next he made his way to
Mangwato, where he found employment in the
service of Mr. Clarke, a well-known storekeeper
at Palapye. His work was principally among
oxen, and thus he acquired a certain knowledge
in the art of waggon-driving. At Palapye Ben
— for such was his name — took unto himself a
wife who bore him children.

Next we find Master Ben employed by M.
Coillard to drive his waggon to the Zambezi
and thence to Lialui. He had intended, after
spending a few weeks in Borotse, to return to
the bosom of his family in Mangwato. This,
however, was not to be, for Liwanika, in course
of conversation, asked him who his people
were.

" I am a Matoka,*' he answered.

**The Matoka are my people," was the royal
reply, ** and therefore you belong to me, and
must stay here and look after my oxen."

And so he did, and consequendy forsook his
first wife and commenced afresh with another.
His conscience, if he ever had such a thing, he
satisfies at Liwanika's expense, though it is very

«55

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

much to be doubted whether his domestic perfidy
IS as compulsory as the apostate Ben would have
It supposed.

Ben subsequently became very useful to me
as interpreter, and on many occasions I was able
to have talks with Liwanika when I would not
have cared to appropriate the time of my
missionary friends, who were very busy with
their conference.

This is one which I entered in my diary on
returning to my hut.

** Do the English people know of the existence
of me, Liwanika ? "
•' Yes.'^

** Has the Queen ever heard of me.^"
"Yes, the Queen takes an interest in all her
people, whether white or black, and knows as
much about them as the English people do."

** But how can the Queen and English people
know about me and my people, who are so far
away ?

" Englishmen like myself," I told him, " travel
all over the world in order that we may see
for ourselves what happens in places far away
from England. When I go back to my home
I will tell the people what I have seen in your
country, and the Queen too will hear again of
you and your people."

'*What will the Queen do with me?" he
enquired anxiously.

156

LIWANIKA AND THE QUEEN

'* If you behave well to the English people,
the Queen, who is good and kind, will see that no
harm is done to you, for the English people do
not fight unless they are compelled to ; but then
they are strong and conquer. Look at the
Matabele. Lobengula's impis did wrong many
times in killing people and taking their cattle.
Lobengula was told he must give up killing
or a white impi would attack him. Then his
people actually went into one of the white men's
towns and killed their servants before their eyes,
so the white men had to punish them and drive
them from their country.

** It was a good thing for the white men to
fight the Matabele," he added. '' All black people
are glad and now have peace. The Matabele
are bad people, and killed a great many men and
women and children. As for Lobengula, he used
to talk of Khama and of me as if we were his
cattle."

"And yet," I said, " Liwanika and Khama are
now alive and are kings of their people, but
Lobengula is dead and his people are scattered.

Again his suspicions that his time might come
next, and that the English had designs on himself
and country became evident ; quite pathetically he
remarked, ''Yes, Khama knows the Queen and
the Queen knows all about Khama, so Khama is
all right. But I am so very far away; it is
different with me."

157

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

I felt quite sorry for the poor man. After he
had spontaneously asked that the Queen should
take him and his people under her protection,
his suspicions had been aroused mainly by the
conduct of two disreputable white men, to whom
allusion is made on the ensuing page, and he was
in the position of a man who was not quite
certain whether he had made a false step or not,
and felt powerless to avoid the consequences
which might ensue. I did my best to reassure
him, and think I was to some extent successful.

I was having a regular field-day with my
swarthy host, nor was it finished yet He turned
to the subject of the game I had killed, and I read
out my bag amid a series of "ee's" from the
chiefs who squatted round, commencing after
species No. 5 had been disposed of and increas-
ing in energy until twenty-five species with the
number killed of each had been recapitulated.

Next he alluded to Mr. F. C. Selous, of whom
he spoke in terms of friendship.

" I like Selous and Selous likes me," he re-
marked. ** He always behaved well to me. When
the Mashikolumbwe robbed him and killed some
of his '' boys,'* he did not blame me because he
knew they were not my people, and that I was
not to blame* Yes," he added, "if Selous were
a black man I would send for him to come and
see me, but he is a white man, and I cannot send
for white men."

158

UNPRINCIPLED CONDUCT OF WHITE MEN

And SO ended my second interview with Li-
wanika. His nervous anxiety and simple intelli-
gence impressed me, and I determined to see
as much of him as I could during my stay at
Lialui. I thought I saw in him a man with
whom much could be done by straightforward
treatment; while what I had heard when com-
pared with what I had seen convinced me that
a false impression of him and his people was
all that was known by those with whom he was
arranging for the concession of certain rights in
his country.

It is an unfortunate thing that some traders
and others, in order to satisfy their prejudices or
advance their personal interests, should at times
sow the seeds of trouble by wilful misrepresenta-
tion. A certain trader had the audacity to tell
me that he and a friend purposely did all they
could to cause dissension between Liwanika and
the Chartered Company, as when once white men
established themselves in the country, Borotse
would be ruined from their point of view.
These two worthies, I subsequently discovered,
had done all they could to persuade Liwanika
to give them men to burn down the mission
station at Sefula, but fortunately learned that
they were dealing with a man who, though black,
could teach them a lesson in matters of common
honour and principle. This atrocious request
brought the misunderstanding these knaves had

159

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

created between Liwanika and M. Coillard Xo a
crisis. The king sent for the missionary and his
accusers, insisted on the accusation being made
publicly, and on asking M. Coillard to answer,
received such powerful proof in repudiation of
the charge* against him as to completely turn
the tables in his favour. M. Coillard's influence
was consequently re-established and strengthened,
and has continued for good ever since. His
enemies were dismissed the country, though
before they got clear they successfully instigated
the burning and plunder of a storehouse at
Sesheke belonging to Messrs. Buckenham and
Baldwin, English missionaries.

The above facts will no doubt account to many
minds for the disparaging statements so often
disseminated about missionaries and their work.
Don't let it be understood that I wish to charac-
terize all missionaries as immaculate or even
sincere. It is an unfortunate fact that there are
black sheep among them ; that is to be expected.
My personal experience shows that sincere
workers are the rule and not the exception, as
some would have it, especially among those who
have turned their backs on civilization and
devoted their energies to work in the far
interior.

* M. Coillard was accused of surreptitiously selling the king's
country to the Chartered Company. Liwanika having applied
for the protection of the Great White Queen, could not under-
stand where the Company came in.

i6o

GOOD DONE BY MAROTSE MISSION

About the Zambezi missionaries I had been
told : ** They try to keep traders and hunters
out of the country for their own ends." ** They
are nothing but a lot of traders," &c., &c.

What did I find? Hospitality everywhere and,
whenever I wanted it, assistance and information.
The natives, once insolent, and often hostile
to white men, treated me with respect and
confidence. So far from being traders, on two
occasions when I was allowed to replenish my
necessaries from the mission stores, no profit was
asked, the bare expenses being alone charged.
In their dealings with the natives the same rules
are religiously observed. Killing for "witch-
craft," before their advent of almost daily
occurrence, is now all but unknown, and
Liwanika has quite put a stop to the wholesale
slaughter of men, women, and children for the
trivial offence or imagined offence of a single
member of a family.

Quite apart from the professed objects of a
missionary's life, great temporal achievements
are directly due to their labours, and the con-
fidence they inspire in the native mind.
Missionary enterprise has played a most im-
portant part in the extension of the empire of
which we English are so proud and our rivals
so envious. Undue credit has been given me
by some for having successfully travelled a
considerable tract of unknown country alone and
M i6i

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

without armed escort. The bulk of such credit
belongs to David Livingstone for the confidence
his name still inspires in the first instance, and
to M. Coillard and the mission of which he is
the head in the second, who to a great extent
have dissipated the prejudices of the king. For
the first three-quarters of my journey physical
endurance was all that was required of me, and
until I entered the Mashikolumbwe country my
person and property were at least as safe as they
are in London. Fair play is a jewel. We
English boast that we love it. Why, then, deny
the missionaries their due ?

163

CHAPTER X.

ON the morning of the 24th of September
a message came from Liwanika, saying
that he would like to speak with me, so I repaired
to the royal presence with Ben as interpreter.

Again he wanted to know why I had come to
his country, and insinuated that I was looking
for gold.

I assured him that I had not given gold a
thought ; and then deeming the time had arrived
to tell him my real objects in visiting him, for I
had made up my mind that to be straightforward
with this man could not be wrong, and might be
wise, I said :

** My chief reason for coming here is to make
a map of your country."

He was silent for a moment, and I feared that
he was about to raise objections to my ** spying
out" the country, as is the way with most
Africans. Not so, however, for raising his head
slowly, he answered :

** It is a good thing to make a map of my

country, for though I am king, my country is a

large one; and there are many rivers I know

163

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

nothing about When I was a little boy," and
he extended his hand to show the degree of his
smallness, " I well remember a white man coming
here and making a map of the river."

"You mean Monare,"* I said. ** What I want
you to do is to allow me to continue the work
which Monare began when you were a littie
boy."

He did not attempt to conceal the satisfaction
this interruption gave him, and from that time all
his suspicious litde insinuations vanished, and he
showed absolute confidence in me.

" I will give you permission to go anywhere in
my country you wish, but you must send me
maps showing where you go and what rivers you

cross."

** I will not only do that," I answered, " but
when my map of your country is complete I will
send you a copy of it"

To this he added quite a pretty litde compli-
ment, which would put to shame many of the
small flatteries of more civilized people :

'' And when I am dead, Latia and Latia's sons
after him will remember you as the white man
who made a map of their country."

On being asked what direction I wished to
take, I told him I should like to go to where
the Lui, Lumbi, and Njoko had their sources,
then travel down to Sesheke and up the Machili,

* Livingstone^s nadve name.
164

LIWANIKA SANCTIONS MY PLANS

or some other river, to the Kafukwe, and back to
him by a more northerly route.

He warned me that this was a very big journey
and would take me two years.

** I know it is a long way," I replied, "but it
will not take so long as you say."

*' But you must remember the rains. You
cannot cross many of the rivers in the wet
season."

"Well, I will try to be back at Lialui long
before you say."

" And to whom do all these rivers you speak
about belong ?'* he asked.

** To Liwanika, king of the Marotse."

** That is so, they belong to me"; and he looked
quite pleased with himself and with me.

He has an idea that part of his country might
be taken from him on the plea that there is little
or no outward and visible sign of his authority in
some of his more distant possessions. For this
reason he has recently been distributing Marotse
chiefs among the Matoka as rulers of districts
and headmen of villages.

Next he travelled to personal matters.

** What do white men think of me ? Do they
think I am a good king or a bad one ? "

" I have never heard a white man say you were
not a good king, but I have heard it said that you
sometimes say one thing one day, and another the
next."

165

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

Having administered this doubtful compliment,
I resumed :

** Since I came into the country, however, and
have seen with my eyes and heard with my ears,
I can understand why white men should speak
so, for I have heard how two bad white men
came to Borotse and told the king false things,
so that he did not know what to believe, and his
mind became unsettled."

'*That is true," he answered, '* that is true."

The following day I again paid the king a visit
in company with M. A. Jalla. He told me that
before leaving he wished me to write him a letter
— he is quite far enough advanced to know the
value of black and white — acknowledging that
he had warned me of the dangers of the proposed
journey, and that as at any time I might be killed
by a lion, elephant, or buffalo, I quite understood
that I travelled at my own risk and did not hold
him responsible for my safety. In justification of
this demand he shrewdly remarked :

"If you are killed by a lion or a buffalo, since
you are by yourself and there is no white man to
prove it, the English people may say that my
people killed you."

The letter was subsequently sent, and he gave
me permission to travel in any part of his country
I wished.

Three days later I went by arrangement to
view a collection of his people s work in wood,

i66

MAROTSE HANDIWORK PURCHASED

iron, and grass, as I had expressed a wish to buy
a representative lot, so as to be able to show
people in England how cleverly the work was
done. And very well all these native- made
articles looked ; in wood were bowls, basins,
dishes, and spoons, all neatly carved, some in
pattern and others ornamented with representa-
tions of animals ; in iron, axes of all kinds, hoes,
knives, fishing-spears, and different kinds of
assegais ; and in grass- work many-shaped baskets
and mats with various patterns. They made a
goodly collection and I purchased the whole.

On the 30th I went round to bid my black
host farewell. Conversation turned on matters
geographical. I had mentioned a wish after my
proposed return to Lialui to visit the northern
Zambezi watershed, though this was dependent
on fresh provisions which had been ordered of
my agents at Mafeking reaching the Zambezi in
March. The king acquiesced on condition that
I would take with me forty of his warriors, whom
he would arm with rifles if I supplied the ammu-
nition. "Then," he said, **you will be safe; for
the people there are wild men, who would kill
you in the night if you were by yourself, but they
dare not attack you if forty of my people are
with you."

Then he continued :

" Where does the Kabompo begin ? Why it
begins in a row of hills, and from the same hills

167

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

rise the Kafukwe and Lualaba, all close to one
another."

He then, after sending an attendant for a piece
of chalk, dropped on his knees and traced on the
floor his idea of the relative positions of the prin-
cipal rivers in his country one to another; the
upper reaches of the Kafukwe and Kabompo,
however, were many miles apart. I drew atten-
tion to the fact that they ** began " close together.
For a moment the royal mind seemed puzzled ;
but not for long, for a semicircular dash of the
chalk placed the sources of the Kafukwe and
Kabompo in close proximity, and only at the
expense of disproportionately increasing the size
of the former. The map completed, I told him
it would be a great help to me, returned to my
hut and brought back a note-book, in which I
copied the map of Liwanika s country according
to himself

On the following morning — September 30th —
I paid a farewell visit to Liwanika. He was
very affable, and told me a chief had been told
off^ to look after the porters and to order the
people in his name to do everything to help me.
Then added :

** I wish you to send me a letter when you get

to the Lui, one from the Lumbi, and another

from the Njoko. Then I shall know you are

safe. I will also send letters to you, and the

people will know that you are my friend. Give

168

FAREWELL VISIT TO LIWANIKA

your letters to Matlakala** — the chief who was to
accompany me — **and he will order the headman
of any village you may be near to send them on
to me."

I was on the point of wishing him farewell,
but, instead of taking my offered hand, he shook
his head, saying :

** No, not yet. Come with me." And he led
the way to the ** kotla," where the principal men
were already assembled, as well as the porters,
headed by Matlakala, whose name, being inter-
preted, signifies the ** sweepings from the floor.'*

My own boys were also summoned and made
to sit down in front of the king, in order that
they might hear for themselves the instructions
given to Matlakala and his gang.

A long harangue followed, in which Liwanika
gave definite instructions to the effect that every-
thing was to be done to facilitate the journey
and that they would be held responsible to him
for my safety, adding to me :

**When you come back I will give you forty
men with rifles, who will go with you to where
the Zambezi begins.**

I thanked him in anticipation. Then the ruling
native characteristic showed itself in the question :

**What present will you give me for sending
you there ? **

'* I cannot say," was my answer; "there is
plenty of time to think of that"

169

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

After bidding farewell to my black host, and
afterwards to the missionaries, a start was made
in an easterly direction that afternoon.

It is impossible to speak too highly of the
hospitable treatment I received at the hands
of this native king. As I have said, two huts
and a courtyard were placed at my disposal, an
ox was given me, a milch cow was set aside
for my special use, and every day a present
of fish, honey, thick milk, cassava, or food for
the boys would arrive, while each morning a
chief would present himself at the hut door
bearing the " Morena's " greetings — a nice little
piece of civility that pleased me much. That
evening camp was pitched at the base of the
rising ground bordering on the Marotse plain.
I was glad to be on the move once more, and
particularly so as a part of the country hitherto
absolutely unexplored was at last reached in
which, with Liwanika at my back, I felt there
would be no great difficulty in doing useful work.

A steady ascent the next morning for about
half a dozen miles up a sandy slope covered with
forest led to the discovery of a large oval-shaped
lake some four miles long by three wide.

It was at the very end of the dry season, so

that the basin of this lake was almost dry, but

the banks show that a considerable volume of

water collects there during the rainy season.

There is no visible outlet, and as evaporation

170

THE KANDE RIVER

cannot account for the disappearance of so large
a body of water during the winter months, it
must drain subterraneously through the few miles
of sand which separate it from the Marotse
plain, some i6o feet below.

A sluggish river, by name Kande, winding
through the valley, characteristically resembling
most rivers in this part of the country, empties
itself into the basin. The path lay for about
twenty miles along this valley, when a bend from
the south led it away from the direction of my
route. At that point the grassy valley was about
300 yards wide, though the river could not have
its source many miles further or it would clash
with the Lui system. .

A flock of guinea-fowl here afforded not
merely sport, but a welcome addition to the
larder; for what with the depredations of native
dogs and the scarcity of big game in this district,
meat had been at a premium lately.

After a tramp of 2 1 i miles, camp was formed
that evening on the Kande, some six miles west
of where the path leaves the river.

The sandy nature of the ground made it rather
heavy going, but the path was shaded by tall,
but not massive, non-deciduous trees, on some
of which edible fruit was to be found, which
was much appreciated by the boys and to
some extent by myself It is remarkable that
an orange-shaped, hard-shelled fruit should ripen

171

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

here at the end of the winter season, while south
of the Zambezi the same fruit matures at the
end of the summer. This same tree, too, which
south of the big river is deciduous, carries in
15* S. Lat a certain number of old leaves at
the time the new shoots open out.

Though no doubt there are other trees common
to both districts, they are in the main of quite
a different character. I am not aware of having
passed a single thorn-tree during the whole of the
journey along this watershed.

On the 2nd an uneventful march of igi miles
terminated near a small Makwenga village on the
Maunga, a tributary of the Kande river. This
country is absolutely devoid of game, so the
difficulty of providing food for the boys
rendered fast travelling incumbent on me. Pro-
bably on the principle of the " new broom '* the
boys followed implicidy, nor did I so much
as hear a grumble at the distances they were
called upon to travel, though it must be admitted
a fifty-pound load for twenty miles mostly under
a hot sun is good travelling for African porters.

On the 3rd only twelve miles brought me to the

Lui river, where camp was formed for the night,

as I was anxious to take astronomical and other

observations. At about ten o'clock that morning

a lake basin — Sesheke Pan — about 1000 yards

across, tempted me to halt, as in the water which

covered the centre of the basin large numbers of

172

DUCK SHOOTING

teal, duck, and geese were to be seen ; so after
refreshment I sauntered down with the boy
Muliphi, and spent a pleasant, cool morning up
to my waist in water in search of a day s food.

The geese were too wary, so after trying in
vain for some time to get within range they were
abandoned in favour of duck and teal, after bag-
ging seven of which I returned to camp.

The banks of the Lui, according to my obser-
vations, are 3710 feet above the sea-level, or
rather more than 300 feet higher than Lialui.

Next morning the river had to be crossed
in canoes. The flow of water was imperceptible,
but where the crossing was effected the river was
quite 100 yards wide and had the appearance
rather of a marshy lake than a river. There
were plenty of water-fowl about, from which I
bagged a spurwing goose and a duck.

While following up the valley of the Situta,
a small Lui affluent, a wildebeest was sighted
about 800 yards away in the open. This was the
first head of game I had seen since shooting the
three buffaloes at Sioma four weeks before — with
the exception of one or two lechwe which are
preserved by Liwanika in the neighbourhood of
Lialui.

After an hour's stalk the animal was bagged,
but with no credit to the shooter, for after having
missed four times it required two wounds and a
coup degrdce to kill him. Thus seven miles only

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

were travelled that day, and the boys revelled
in the first meat they had tasted for a fortnight.
The first shower of rain fell that evening to the
accompaniment of a thunderstorm.

The Matingu, a tributary of the Lui, was
reached at about eleven o'clock on the 5th. This
is a clear stream about twelve feet wide and five
or six feet deep. There is a good flow of clear
fresh water, in which I indulged in and thoroughly
enjoyed a dip.

The path led along this river for a few miles,
but finally leaving it, I had to take the boys
some distance after dark before water was again
reached, this time on the edge of a plain about
five miles across.

The twenty-three miles' march of that day
had a soothing effect on the boys ; they did not
jabber half the night as was their wont, so their
master slept undisturbed, after having taken a
successful observation for latitude — an oppor-
tunity which the gathering clouds at the end
of the dry season seldom allow.

On the 6th the sources of the Luwouwa (wild
dog) and Koshamba rivers, tributaries of the
Motondo, an important affluent of the Lui, were
traversed, and two days later camp was formed
at the source of the Lumbi about eleven miles
east of the Motondo source, which was passed
en route.

The plateau on which these two rivers rise

174

GAME ONCE MORE

is high and in many places open. According to
my observations its altitude is 3980 feet above
the level of the sea.

When within half a mile of the Lumbi source,
one of the boys pointed out a herd of about a
dozen eland grazing on the plain along the border
of which the caravan travelled. After a short
stalk, not seeing a bull, I fired a right and left at
a nice cow, but both bullets went low. Then
for the first time, as they cantered away, a fine old
bull showed himself. He had been grazing with
others behind a small clump of palm and bush
growing on one of the numerous old ant-heaps
that studded the plain.

Seizing a Mannlicher, I took a shot as he
cantered across my front 250 yards away. The
bullet struck home, but did not stop him. After
following the spoor for a short distance, during
which it became obvious when the herd slowed
down to a walk that the bull went lame in the
right leg from a shoulder wound, I decided to
make camp, partake of a little refreshment, and
follow the spoor in the afternoon.

While doing so, a large mixed herd of zebra
and wildebeest gave an opportunity for supplying
the larder of which it would have been unwise
not to take advantage, so leaving the eland spoor
for a short time, I crawled through the forest to
where the game were to be seen grazing in the
open. It was a pretty sight to see all these

175

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

animals grazing peacefully within lOO yards ; each
cow seemed to have a calf at foot, and each mare
a foal, which spent most of their time playing and
gamboling about as is the way with animals only
a few days old.

After bagging a wildebeest, and leaving three
boys to cut up and take the meat to camp, I
again took the eland spoor with Muliphi and
another. The wounded bull left the herd, but
showed no signs of halting, and I was at last
compelled to abandon the chase, and reached
camp about two hours after darkness had set in.

On the following day I sent boys off on the
spoor, and myself spent the day examining the
surrounding country ; the boys, of course, did
not come up with the wounded bull, and most
probably, in reality, spent a lazy day a short
distance from camp.

On the morning of the loth, a large herd of

wildebeest came down to the "vley** for water.

While following them up from behind a small

patch of bush, a hartebeest took my attention

away from the other game. After a careful

stalk he sighted me, just as I was preparing

to aim. The hissing note of alarm as he threw

his head up and gazed in my direction told me

there was no time to lose, and a too hurried

shot sent him away on three legs, with a

shoulder wound low down, in spite of which I

had a long run of six or seven miles before a

176

AN ELAND BAGGED

bullet from the Mannlicher brought him to bay as
he endeavoured to escape through the forest.

On the evening of the same day an eland came
down to drink at the vley, and was easily stalked
and killed.

N 177

CHAPTER XI.

THE reaction consequent on the change
from the scantiest and most unnutritious
diet on which the boys had subsisted since leav-
ing Lialui to a state of repletion in meat, at
first promoted much good humour and con-
viviality among these black gourmands. They
literally gorged all day, from sunrise till about
II p.m., when pots full of meat and water would
be placed on the fire to simmer. At about 2 a.m.
jabbering and gorging would again commence,
and continue until one after another they had
once more eaten and talked themselves to sleep.

All this might have been very nice for them,
but it did not quite suit me to be roused up and
kept awake each night ; so after finding from
experience that it is an impossibility for the
African to eat without talking and laughing, I
was compelled to put a stop to this night work
with a high hand.

When on the nth I gave orders to pack up
the loads, Matlakala, the Marotse chief whom
Liwanika had given me as headman, said he was
very sick. Looking as forlorn and miserable as

178

ON THE LUENA SYSTEM

all niggers do when they are, or imagine they are
ill, he laid his hand first on his forehead and said
in his own language, "Very sick there," which
sentence was repeated as he in turn touched
nearly every joint he had in his body.

I dosed him severely and insisted on moving
a few miles, though he quite looked on my doing
so as a grievance ; however, had I delayed for
the convenience of each boy whose liver had
been deranged by gluttony, very little progress
would have been made, for it was seldom that
at least one boy did not consider himself hors
de combat.

Going down hill for seven miles I reached a
sluggish river — so sluggish that it was impossible
to tell which way it flowed, if there was any flow
at all at that time of the year. The usual grass
valley bordered the stream on either side, and
its direction being S.E. to N.W. led me to
suppose that I had got on to a tributary of the
Njoko river ; two days later, however, on reach-
ing a place where the water visibly flowed towards
the N.W., it became obvious that this could
have nothing to do with the Njoko. It turned
out to be the Niambe river, which flows into the
Luompa, an affluent of the Luena which empties
its waters into a lake, as does the Kande river
about twenty miles north of Lialui. Matlakala
here had the audacity to tell me that he and
the boys in his charge were going to return to

179

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

Borotse, as he was too sick to go on. I told him
he was perfectly at liberty to go as far as he
himself was concerned, and could take his slave
boy, a small Mashikolumbwe whom he always
kept on the move in attendance on his wants,
with him ; but as the boys had not been given
to him by the king, but to me, they would have
to continue. Fortunately there were seven loyal
boys with me, four of the paddlers who had ac-
companied me from Sesheke and the three South
Africans. He knew, therefore, that no false
justification for leaving me would go undisputed
to Liwanika, and after an argument between
the two sections, which I overheard from a short
distance, master Matlakala found himself alone in
his wish to return, and when a fresh start was
made did not take advantage of my suggestion
that he should go home.

When that evening I sent a message to
Matlakala to come for physic, the answer was
returned that he did not want any, as he was not
sick in the stomach ; in other words, he had no
appetite for croton oil !

On the afternoon of the 13th, a single roan

antelope bull was noticed several hundred yards

in front, trekking slowly up the valley in the open.

The larder was empty, so I gave chase. Skirting

the forest for about three-quarters of a mile

brought me to within 200 yards of the bull.

Being out of effective range for the i6-bore, I

180

A LUCKY SHOT

beckoned to MuHphi to bring me the Mannlicher,

but as he approached the antelope caught sight

of him and galloped off, standing when 300 yards

away. It was obvious that a better chance would

not be likely to occur again, though at that

distance, with a non-expansive small-bore bullet,

the odds were strongly in favour of the game not

being bagged. The first bullet seemed to go

over him, and striking beyond evidently puzzled

the animal as to the direction from which danger

threatened him, for he stood long enough to allow

me to fire again, and with better effect this time,

for down he went.

On coming up it was seen that the bullet had

severed the spine just in front of the hind

quarters, and quite three feet to the left of my

aim, so I owed this accession of meat and a fine

pair of horns to good luck rather than good

management. On nearing the wounded animal

to give him his coup de grdce^ he showed all the

spirit his species is credited with when brought to

bay. His eye, so far from assuming the sad,

plaintive look of the wounded koodoo, eland, or

steinbuck, which has so often conjured up feelings

of pity in the mind of the sportsman who has

evoked it, literally gleamed with fire and rage

as he shook his sharp pointed horns violently

and grunted with anger. But he was paralysed,

and a bullet through the brain soon settled his

account.

181

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

Next day some Mankoya women were en-
countered, but it was found impossible to elicit
any information from them, as none of the
boys could speak their language.

While travelling that afternoon, the native path
which the caravan had been following parted
from the river and turned south. I told
Matlakala that I intended following the Niambe
to its source, and would sleep there that night
A mile and a half further up the source was
reached.

After waiting about half an hour and see-
ing no signs of the porters, I sent one of the
three boys who were with me to hurry them
on, but he did not return. Some time after
another boy was sent, who came back shortly
after sunset to say Matlakala and his gang had
followed the path in spite of my orders to the
contrary.

No food, no pipe, and no blankets did not give
promise of a very cheerful night Fortunately,
two matches were found in the bottom of the
cartridge bag, a hut of boughs was constructed,
and a large fire lighted. So I might have been
worse off.

At about nine o'clock the boy I had sent

four hours earlier led the caravan in, and

Matlakala was given to understand that if ever

he dared disobey me again he should return at

once to the king with a letter explaining that he

182

START DOWN THE NJOKO

was worse than useless, and that I preferred to do
without him.

The night was sufficiently clear to allow of my
taking a latitude, which showed the source to be
in 15** 43' i" S., while the boiling-point thermo-
meters indicated the altitude to be 3860 feet
above the sea-level, or 120 feet lower than the
source of the Lumbi.

Two days later we reached the dry bed of the
M'pancha river, which joins with the Luyaba —
also dry — to form the Njoko. At the junction
there is a large pool, which in the rainy season
becomes quite a lake, and is a favourite resort of
hippopotami.

At this point the traveller once more finds him-
self in the Matutela country.

With the intention of following the Njoko
down to my old camp at its confluence with the
Rampungu, a start was made down stream in the
early afternoon.

The African is accustomed to cringe to every-
one stronger and bully anyone or anything
weaker than himself. In consequence of some
women being seen carrying baskets filled with
wild fruits, four of my noble savages rushed after
them, depleted them of part of their gatherings,
and compelled them to return with them evidently
for the purpose of further plunder. To their
disgust, however, they were compelled to return
the fruit, and the women were allowed to leave.

183

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

This they did in a stolid, matter of fact manner,
nor did they appear in any way grateful.

From the pool alluded to above to the mouth of
the Njoko there is a constant flow of water. The
valley through which it flows, being wide and
fertile, has become an important cattle district for
the herds of Marotse chiefs whom Liwanika has
placed there with their families and slaves. Con-
sequently there is a scarcity of game near the
river in its upper reaches. A small herd of
wildebeest, out of which one was bagged, were
alone encountered during the journey to the
Rampungu.

On the 17th camp had been formed near the
village of a chief by name Serumpunta, and the
next morning, hearing the natives had com, I
decided not to make a "move till 3 p.m. Com
was brought, but the prices asked were exorbi-
tant, so I told the women to take it away. This
they did, but shortly after different women
returned with the same vessels. Trade then
became brisk, prices having grown moderate.

That morning a Matutela blacksmith at work

interested me much. Sitting on a stone in a

bower of branches, too dark to be put on record

by means of photography, was a native hard at

work creating draught for a charcoal fire. One

end of an iron cylinder is imbedded in the coals,

and in the other are fixed a couple of bamboos,

the further extremity of each communicating with

184

A NATIVE BLACKSMITH

a separate earthenware vessel. On the top of
each of these a piece of skin brayed to the
softness of wash-leather is tied, the skins over
the neck of the vessels being sufficiently baggy
to allow of each being raised and lowered in turn
by means of a stick attached to the centre of
each. In this way a draught is created quite as
effective as that from the bellows of an English
smith.

The smith was making an assegai head as,
seated in front, I made a sketch of the smithy
and its occupants.

A hard stone served as anvil ; the hammers
were of two sizes, but similarly proportioned,
one with a head about twelve inches long, and
the other half that size. The section of one
end of the head was circular, the other elongated
like a blunt chisel. A pair of iron tweezers
about thirty inches long, with which the heated
metal was handled, completed the tool-chest of
this primitive smith. As a rule a native African
does everything — except when excited in the
chase — in slow time ; it was therefore quite a
treat to watch this boy actively shaping his
assegai-head with both energy and precision.

I was once more to be annoyed by the wretched
Matlakala and his monkey tricks. When the
hour for departure had arrived, three boys only
were present in camp. Assuming that Matlakala
was in the village, his Mashikolumbwe slave-boy

185

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

was sent with instructions that he and the
boys were to return at once. Three-quarters
of an hour passed, but still Matlakala was not
forthcoming ; so, in by no means the sweetest
of tempers, I repaired to the village myself, for I
had found that my presence at times supplied an
excellent motive power to the inanimate nigger.
This case was no exception to the rule. My
worthless headman was engaged in gossip and
snuff-taking with a group of natives, and taking
life quite easily, utterly regardless of the order
he had received. He was soon set in motion,
however, though that day he succeeded in his
object, for three boys were nowhere to be found,
and did not turn up till after dark. He looked
rather sick when, on returning a short time later,
he was ordered to give to the chief of the village
a letter I had written to Liwanika, with instruc-
tions to forward it at once to the king.

" In that letter," I added, ** Liwanika is told
of your behaviour. I tell him, too, that instead
of carrying out his orders and being a help to
me you are worse than useless, and that I am
sending you back to him as soon as Sesheke
is reached."

That evening I shot four guinea-fowl, so re-
serving one for myself, called the three boys who
had alone remained in camp, gave them one
each, but insisted on their eating them in my

presence, otherwise their chief would have had

1 86

EVEN WITH MATLAKALA

his share of each of them. This I have found
is the most effective way of rewarding the
faithful, and at the same time, by deprivation,
punishing the troublesome; for the ** sjambok" I
do not approve of, unless in the case of a most
persistent and incorrigible scoundrel.

The next morning an early start was made,
and it was my intention to be even with
Matlakala and his accessories in the plot of the
previous afternoon.

It was one of the hottest days of the year, so
it can be imagined that when a halt was made
after one o'clock the boys had done a good
day's work, as they were kept at it up to that
time with only two or three short half-hour rests.
One little episode tickled me much. Three
boys arrived simply pouring with perspira-
tion, and looking as if they had had quite
enough of it. They put down their loads amid
suppressed whistles, with a few maiwe's (an
exclamation of astonishment) thrown in. Then
grinning from ear to ear one of them said to
his fellows :

** This is all because of yesterday."
** Yes," I added, '*it is all because of yesterday."
Matlakala, however, did not enjoy the joke ;
he quite appreciated the fact that he had paid
pretty severely for his little prank — for he least
of all liked hard work — and consequently sulked
as a nigger can.

187

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

The journey was continued in the afternoon,
and on the following day my old camp on the
Rampungu was reached after crossing the waggon-
track made by the missionaries in their journeys
to Borotse, in S. LaL i6** 31'.

My old friends of the village near which my
tent was pitched treated me as they had done
two months before with great hospitality, and
inundated the camp with milk,

A latitude which I was fortunately able to
take in the evening agreeably surprised and
encouraged me, as I found, latitudinally-speaking,
no correction had to be made in my daily route
sketches, and only a very slight correction longi-
tudinally. As it is very much more difficult to
estimate both distance and direction while follow-
ing the bends of a river in a canoe than when
leading a caravan at one's own pace, the river
route was corrected to the land route instead
of taking the mean. By this method, assuming
Livingstone's Zambezi- Kwando confluence and
my own to be similarly placed, his and my
longitude of Lialui were only about three miles
apart, his being the more eastern. Having
regard to the difficulty of determining longitudes
accurately in Central Africa, through being de-
pendent for Greenwich time on a chronometer
which has travelled many hundred miles under
most trying and varied conditions, I felt re-
warded for the constant care taken to render
my work as accurate as possible.

188

THE MISSIONARY AND THE PRINCESS

On the 24th I left the Njoko and at midday
reached the Loanje, a sluggish river about sixty
miles long, which flows into the Zambezi a few
miles to the east of Sesheke, which place was
reached on the 28th with an average of eighteen
miles a day from the Rampungu camp.

There was trouble at Sesheke at that time.
The young Mokwai, who was always trying to
impress M. Goy with an idea of her power and
importance, had given the missionary extreme
annoyance by sending for his head boy with-
out so much as asking the permission of his
master, and compelling him to help in the
construction of a house which she was building
for herself; for she had come to the conclusion
that as her uncle Liwanika, his son Latia, and
her mother the Mokwai Nalolo lived in houses
such as white men use, a round native hut was
not good enough for the Mokwai of Sesheke.
This put the good man to much inconvenience,
and he determined that the establishment of
such a precedent could not be acquiesced in with-
out protest. In consequence he rated the lady
severely for her conduct, disputed her right to
interfere with servants given to him by the
king, and claimed that even if such right existed
the least she could do would be to send a
message to him first. The young woman tried
to ride the high horse, and both she and her

husband became abusive and left.

189

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

That night a town crier was to be heard
warning the villagers at the top of his voice
that anyone who was caught visiting the mission
station would be put into the river. Thus were
things during my second visit to Sesheke, and
I as a friend of M. Goy was not treated to the
pleasing smiles and willing consideration that
this young lady was wont to lavish on me during
my previous sojourn near her town.

At Sesheke the system of rule in Liwanika's
empire is carried out to the letter by this exacting
young woman. As previously stated, all pure-
blooded Marotse are chiefs — everyone else is a
slave, and as such is compelled to work for and
obey every wish of his owner without remuner-
ation. Under this system the Mokwai not only
has the right to compel her own slaves to till her
fields and do any other work or errand her sweet
will imposes on them, but as ruler can also order
her chiefs to provide as much labour as she
wishes, which she does to the full, and even the
wives of her chiefs are ** fallen in'* for labour in
the fields. In fact she refused exemption even
to her husband's mother, though in such countries
mothers-in-law have not the power to interfere
and cause friction in their sons' domestic circles !
In these circumstances it is not surprising that
the Mokwai of Sesheke owns broad acres of
mealies and other corn, for all available women
are compelled to break the ground and sow the

190

WOMAN'S STATUS IN AFRICA

com of their chieftainess first, and not till that is
done are they at liberty to do likewise in the
family fields.

Chiefs superintend the work as task-masters,
and woe betide the unfortunate woman who is
considered to shirk her work or idle her time
in the eyes of her overseer. The principal
method of punishment is strangling in such
cases. The man throws the unfortunate woman
down and with both thumbs presses on the
windpipe until his victim is all but suffocated,
when he relaxes his hold and she is left to
recover as best she can : occasionally, as can be
imagined, the strangling is overdone, and the
woman succumbs to this rough treatment. Such,
however, is not the wish or object of the
chastiser, for women are useful in Central Africa
as beasts of burden and labourers generally;
besides, she is sometimes worth quite a lot of
cows, and can ill be spared until she fades with
increasing years into a shrivelled -up, wrinkled
and useless old hag, worthless either as wife
or labourer, and by no means ornamental. Poor
creatures ! it cannot be said in these dark places
of the earth that "woman rules the world."

During the visit under discussion the gardens

of the Mokwai were being tilled for many

hundred yards round the village. One morning

the shrieks and yells of a poor woman, a short

silence, and then sobs and whining instanced

191

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

what has just been described. The facts of this
case are thus.

A superintending chief gave out that a certain
plot must be finished that day before the women
under his charge were dismissed from their work.

" But this is a large piece/' said one who was
the wife of the man himself.

" You dare to make me an answer !" was the
angry rejoinder ; and the noble fellow threw the
woman down and meted out to her the usual
punishment

The people in addition to forced labour are
expected to employ part of their leisure time in
preparing skins, making **karosses," or doing
other handiwork to be laid at the feet of the
capricious young person who governs them. A
kaross, say, is completed and has probably taken
weeks to bray and stitch. Permission is craved
and of course granted to present the same to
her royal highness. The subject creeps into
the compound, where he kneels and claps his
hands.

" You may approach," says she ; and he draws
near with bended knee and rounded back till
within a couple of paces of the chieftainess.
Down on his knees once more he claps his hands
again.

The kaross is handed to the lady, who examines

it closely, after the manner of her fairer sisters at

a Bond Street drapery.

192

■«,\;

MISSIONARIES TREACHEROUSLY MURDERED

'* I thank you. The work is well done " (if
such is the case), is the short acknowledgment
which represents the sum total of the royal
remuneration. More clapping of hands, with
profuse thanks for the gracious acceptation of the
present, and the donor withdraws with the same
cringing mien, quite content with himself and his
bargain.

It is a curious fact that the African scarcely
knows how to thank his chief enough for a
favour or the most trifling gift, while, as a
rule, he barely thanks the white man who
makes him a present, and if too lavishly treated
looks upon his benefactor as a fool for his pains
and expects more next time.

During one of the many interesting conversa-
tions I had with my good friend, M. Goy, he
related the unhappy failure of two would-be
predecessors in the mission field of the Upper
Zambezi, which occurred some years before M.
Coillard successfully commenced his work among
the Marotse in 1885.

Messrs. Elmore and Price, English mission-
aries, had arrived with their waggons at the
Zambezi, and with them their wives and families.
The inhabitants of a village on the south bank
ostensibly received them well, bringing in
presents of food. But the treacherous savages
had put poison in it, after partaking of which all
succumbed but Mr. Price, who recovered. The
o 193

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

unfortunate gentleman made his escape and
retraced his steps on foot. After some days he
was seen approaching by some fellow mission-
aries who were trekking through the desert to .
join their unfortunate colleagues in front. At
first they failed to recognise their friend, who
presented a sorry spectacle — naked and half
senseless from privation and want of food. Mr.
Price recovered under their care, and all returned
to the colony.

On November 8th I bade farewell to M. and
Mdme. Goy, and left Sesheke for Kazungula.
Sending all my effects, save immediate neces-
saries, by river, I elected to travel by land myself,
so as to be able to furnish a check on my
previous river route.

Lions were to be heard almost nightly on the
flats between the two places, but during the day
they sleep in the long reeds which fringe the
rivers. The entrails with part of the meat of
a zebra were left as a bait one night, but failed
to attract any forager. While travelling much
game was seen, and sufficient shot for larder
purposes. One herd of lechwe, which must have
been quite 300 strong, allowed me to photograph
them, though the field of the camera would only
cover about a third of their number.

On the nth I was encamped a few miles
above the mouth of the Kasaia river. On the
opposite bank a crocodile was basking in the

194

CROCODILES' NESTS

sun, and offered an easy shot at the vertebrae in
front of the shoulder. The bullet took effect
and killed the brute on the spot. A boy was
sent up stream to find a ford, cross, and remove
the belly skin, but before he reached his destina-
tion the slight muscular quiver, which continues
in the case of crocodiles for some time after death,
caused the body to slip down the steep bank, on
the very edge of which it lay, and remain log-
like in about two feet of water. However, the
boy discovered a nest where the animal had
been, from which he abstracted no less than fifty-
eight eggs. These eggs are about the same
shape and size as the goose egg, and in the
present case incubation was in progress in every
stage, many of them containing live crocodiles
fully formed. They were all broken but four,
which were saved for M. J alia, who had
previously expressed a wish to procure some
as specimens. Another nest, containing nearly
forty eggs, was unearthed a few yards along the
bank, so that the Kasaia was deprived that after-
noon of nearly loo of these loathsome reptiles.
I do not know whether it is an established fact
that crocodiles feed on their own young, but
since few can be destroyed by other creatures, it
is to be presumed their marvellous reproductive
abilities are counterbalanced by their not too
discriminating appetites.

The mosquitoes were very troublesome on

195

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

these flats, and a few of the number that buzzed
around my net generally found their way inside
by some means or other before the night was
over. On the 13th Kazungula was reached.
M. and Mdme. Jalla very kindly put a room at
my disposal, and I enjoyed the luxury of a bed
for a few nights.

It was not till the 20th that I succeeded in
getting enough boys together willing to carry
my immediate necessaries znd the Victoria Falls
to Pendamatenka, where my cart and oxen
remained in charge of Mr. Bagley, trader, farmer,
and field-comet

A man, by name Frederick Hurlestone, who
had arrived at the Zambezi for the purpose
of buying cattle for a Bulawayo trader, had
mentioned his intention of returning to Penda-
matenka vid the falls, so we arranged to travel
thus far together. Hurlestone had been unfor-
tunate in his attempts to procure cattle, and —
poor fellow ! — was still more unfortunate in being
cut off and murdered by the Matabele a few
months later. We travelled by the south bank
as far as the falls, for the most part over stony,
broken ground.

My companion used to amuse me by dwelling

on my " marvellous luck '* in falling in with game

as compared with his own **bad luck." In

reality he was wont to saunter along with his eyes

on the ground, and very naturally scarce ever

196

THE VICTORIA FALLS

saw game, much less killed anything ; but after all
my *'luck" was not very abnormal, as it only
. brought me a pallah, a grysbuck, a crocodile,
and a jackal.

On the morning of the 22nd we reached the
falls, and in spite of all others have said about
this imposing sight, I was, if anything, more
impressed by the picturesque grandeur of the
sight than I had expected to be.

A mile of river falls over a perpendicular
precipice 360 feet high — just about twice the
height of Niagara. Immediately in front a
similar precipice, covered with rich vegetation,
and only about 200 feet from it, bars the way and
forces the torrent along the base of the water-
fall for about two-thirds of its front from the
south bank, and for the other third in an opposite
direction from the north bank. Here a fissure in
the rock provides a means of escape for the
troubled waters, which meet and gurgle over
a rocky bed in their onward course. This cafion
breaks off at an angle of about thirty degrees,
and at different points turns sharply to right
or left, finally opening out, the river settling
down to a normal flow once more.

At the time I saw Mosiotunya, as the natives
call the Victoria Falls, the water was at its lowest,
and by watching my opportunity I was able to
get a series of tolerably good photographs, as
a favourable gust of wind would occasionally

197

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

blow away the spray from each section as I
passed along the precipice in front

Towards the end of the rainy season a solid
volume of water eight or nine feet deep must
be precipitated into the depths below. The mist
under such conditions is of course such as to
make photography impossible and a view difficult.
Livingstone s description and measurements of
the falls are reliable, complete, and by no means
exaggerated, so it is unnecessary here to give
more than the above cursory account of this
grand and unique piece of natural scenery, which
to be more fully appreciated must be seen.

On the same evening a start was made south-
wards over the stony, bush-covered undulations
which characterise the neighbourhood of the
Victoria Falls.

On the following evening an experience
occurred which was annoying to the sportsman
though interesting to the naturalist

There was no meat in the larder, and game
was by no means plentiful in the district My
attention was drawn to a small herd of water-
buck grazing in a narrow open valley about 300
yards off. The wind was right, and the covert
skirting the open ground on either side made
approach to within 100 yards almost a certainty
in ordinary circumstances.

I was getting on nicely, and almost within

shooting distance, when a couple of plovers took

198

WATERBUCK WARNED BY PLOVERS

exception to my movements, showing their dis-
approbation by circling overhead and screeching
loudly. The game looked up, and stared intently
in all directions in their anxiety to locate the
approaching danger. One of the plovers con-
tinued his noisy screeches above while the other
flew to the game, and then to and fro be-
tween the herd and his mate. This manoeuvre
seemed to satisfy them as to the position of
the hidden enemy ; they turned, cantered another
300 yards further up the valley, and settled
down once more. Again I advanced, and once
more when almost within range these little busy-
bodies "gave me away" in the same manner.
This time the herd seemed to come to the
conclusion that things looked somewhat sus-
picious, for they again retired, settled down on
the far side of the valley, and, while the remain-
der continued their evening feed, a bull posted
himself on a rising mound, partially concealed
by a bush, and acted as sentry to his com-
panions.

Another attempted approach was noticed by
the antelope s quick eye, and away they all went
— this time in real earnest

The next day my companion had another piece

of "bad luck." In his anxiety to get a shot he

walked on about 400 yards in advance, but,

having his eyes on the ground as usual, failed

to see two sable antelope grazing on the far

199

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

edge of a plain several hundred yards away.
They were within range of sight for fully five
minutes, but fortunately either did not see
him or considered him too far away to be of
danger.

Halting the boys, I crawled about 500 yards
on my stomach unnoticed, thus reaching an ant-
heap which was the last piece of covert between
the game and myself. Waiting till they had
grazed their way among the scattered bush that-
fringed the plain, another crawl was commenced.
At a time when they were out of sight, so far as
I was concerned, they must have caught a glimpse
of me, for suddenly they were to be seen canter-
ing away through the bush. A long steep hill
lay in the background, and another of gentler
slope met it at right angles on the left. The
conclusion naturally to be arrived at was that
they would veer round, skirt the steep hill, and
make for the pass between the two. In anticipa-
tion of this I drew a "bee-line" and ran as hard
as possible for this point. When about 250 yards
away a bull was to be seen standing on the alert,
broadside on and part way up the slope. It was
the last chance, so taking a Mannlicher from
Muliphi I fired well forward. So far as could
be judged at that distance, he seemed to go away
lame in front. Seizing the i6-bore I put my best
leg forward, got on the spoor and followed him

up. After going some little distance the wounded

200

FINE SPECIMEN OF SABLE ANTELOPE

animal rose in front and recommenced his retreat
A bullet in his hind-quarters, high up, brought
him to the ground paralysed behind. Before
giving him his coup de grace I took a snap-
shot of him six feet off, and although unable
to rise he had all the appearance of being
unwounded. The poor brute, powerless to
rise, shook his long, sharp horns ominously in
token of what he would like to have done but
could not. The horns turned out to be ex-
ceptionally good, measuring forty inches along
the curve from base to tip. The Mannlicher
bullet had passed through shoulders and lungs.
On the 24th we had travelled far into the night
for want of water. All the boys but two failed to
turn up at the halting-place, so we had to spend
an uncomfortable night without blankets, though,
fortunately, not without food. However, except
two, they came into camp before sunrise. With
the missing ones was the tent, also a few odds
and ends. Boys sent back on the spoor re-
turned with the news that the absent ones
had got on to the wrong track during the night,
so it was obvious they had not deserted and
would, in all probability, find their way to
Pendamatenka. A warthog I shot that morn-
ing gave us enough meat, with what remained
of the sable antelope, for another three days,
which was fortunate, for on reaching Penda-
matenka on the 27th it was found that so bad

201

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

which of recent years has sprung up among and
around some half-dozen of these trees on the
north bank.

By the principle of triangulation I measured
the river in the dry season, making it 458 yards
in width at the narrowest place, where the water
is also a considerable depth. Towards the end
of the wet season the banks are quite another
100 yards further apart, and the water-level
rather more than twenty feet higher.

204

CHAPTER XII.

M J ALL A having kindly consented to
• allow my oxen to run with his, I made
arrangements with Latia to cross them to the
north bank.

With the native cattle there is little trouble in
taking a herd from bank to bank. A canoe first
sets off and takes up a position about fifty yards
from the bank. The herd is then driven into the
water, and so long as one or two oxen take the
lead, which is almost invariably the case, the
remainder are easily persuaded to follow. The
canoe is then paddled forward, while one or two
more bring up the rear so as to head stragglers
and keep the herd together.

With South African cattle such as my own
there is more difficulty. Many of them have
never even seen a river worthy the name, and
naturally dread the ordeal of facing a quarter of
a mile of deep water. In such cases each ox is
secured with a riem passed over the horns. A
boy sitting in the centre of a canoe holds on to
the other end, while the beast is driven, some-
times with much difficulty, into deep water. He

is then drawn to the side of the canoe, and his

205

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

head held and secured so as to render his
struggles powerless to upset the unstable craft,
and in this position he remains until his feet
strike the shallows of the opposite bank. Oc-
casionally a crocodile, more venturesome than
his fellows, deems the opportunity too tempting
to be wasted, but in the vast majority of cases no
mishap occurs.

In this manner my six oxen were landed on
the north bank, the crossing of the last one only
giving me any anxiety ; for a crocodile followed
within a couple of yards of the ox's heels for
quite a hundred yards, but did not seem to
grasp the fact that he had quite twenty to one
the best of it, for it is improbable that in the
struggle which would have followed an attack
he would have been compelled to show himself
above water, and thus become vulnerable. How
fortunate it is that animals and niggers, not
realising their power, so seldom attempt to exert
it! As the canoe approached the bank the
crocodile turned about and left us.

I now set about to make arrangements for an

expedition through the Matoka country into

Mashikolumbwe-land. My wish was to travel

in a direction slightly east of north until I struck

the Kafukwe river, to follow that river to about

14° 30'' S. Lat., then turn west and follow the

Luompa and Luena to the Zambezi, thence to

Lialui once more.

206

ACUTE ATTACK OF DYSENTERY

With this object in view I tried in vain to
get the requisite number of porters together
but, do what I would, eight was the sum total
who were professedly willing to accompany me.
A further week's delay did not add one to this
number, so I decided to proceed with half my
loads to Botoka, send back for the remainder
of my goods, and in the meantime endeavour
to get together my caravan. The loads were
arranged and allotted, and I gave the order to
start, but not a move could I get out of one of
the scheming rascals I had engaged. The fact
was, they never had the smallest intention of
leaving Kazungula, but had entered my service
with the object of being fed so long as I found
it impossible to move ! Needless to say, the
whole eight of them very shortly left in a hurry.
My only hope now was to wait for Latia, who
had gone to Lialui on a visit to his father. He,
I trusted, would supply me with the boys I
required.

But now another and more serious obstacle

rose unexpectedly. I suddenly found myself

knocked over with dysentery, that worst and

most pertinacious of all African diseases. In

a week I was reduced to little more than a

skeleton. I looked miserable and felt miserable,

for I had only accomplished half of the work

I had set my mind on, and semi-success always

appears to me closely allied to defeat On the

ao7

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

9th I took to my bed — a cork mattress on the
top of bales and boxes. Rice, porridge, and
other farinaceous food, with what little milk
Mdme. Jalla could spare me (meat, of course,
is fatal), Dover's powders, bismuth, and finally
Warburg's tincture checked the disease, so that
I was able to get up for a few hours on the
1 2th. However, I was so weak that I found it
difficult to walk a hundred yards without resting.

At this stage boys once more came in and
offered to accompany me, probably thinking I
would not be able to go far. This change of
front seemed strange to me, so to each boy I
put the same question, and each boy gave me
a similar answer.

**Are you willing to accompany me into the
Mashikolumbwe or any other country I wish
to visit during the next four months ? "

"Yes, N'tate."

**And you quite understand that if you come
with me you will get no pay unless you return
with me to Kazungula ? "

"Yes, N'tate."

And so by the 17th I had got together the
requisite number of porters, and had gained
strength so satisfactorily as to feel that I could
travel by easy stages.

M. Coillard had arrived from Lialui en route

for Europe. For some months he had suffered

severely and patiently from some internal com-

208

START FOR MASHIKOLUMBWE-LAND

plaint he had been unable to diagnose or relieve.
He had, therefore, wisely decided to accompany
M. and Mdme. Jalla, who were about to enjoy
European leave after ten years' life on the
Zambezi.

Kindness and sympathy itself, M. Coillard
tried to dissuade me from proceeding north, and
pointed out that my duty to myself demanded
my return home, and under ordinary circum-
stances I might have taken his kind advice.
However, in spite of my weakness, I had no
feeling or presentiment of an untimely end, and
I was particularly anxious not to forego what I
anticipated would be the most interesting half
of my expedition. Thus, as is the way with
most of us, my mind conjured up arguments
favourable to my wishes.

** My oxen are weak, and I doubt if they
could take me through the desert.

** To the north I must strike high ground,
can travel slowly if necessary, and will have a
better chance of picking up strength than the
hard work of travelling through the Kalahari
would allow."

And so on the 17th, the day MM. Coillard

and Jalla trekked south, I went north, feeling

anxious lest the former should succumb to the

discomfort and hardship of the desert journey,

while they, as I afterwards found, feared I had

seen home for the last time,
p 209

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

That day I managed to march eleven miles,
and camped near a pool in the bed of a small
stream, feeling quite pleased with myself, as I was
in no way exhausted.

The country I had travelled through was
extremely pleasant at that, the spring season.
About a mile and a half from the river the first
of a series of red sand undulations is reached.
The trees and bush are clothed with those fresh,
delicate tints of green which, under a tropical sun,
so soon become sombre and dull. Here and there
a shrub still further brightens the foliage with its
bursting flower buds of pink or white or yellow,
and among the fresh spring grass, too, occasional
flowers lend additional effect to the cheerful
colouring of Nature's art. How strikingly
superior is the power of Nature to the effort of
man in this blending of colour! How oft do
we see two colours, with which the atrocious taste
of some will endeavour to beautify their person,
in such harsh and cruel contrast that each makes
the other hideous, while, when handled by Nature,
the two live side by side in sympathetic beauty !

After marching four miles on the following
morning I reached mopani flats, which, owing
to the rains, were ankle-deep in water. After
tramping seven miles through these swamps the
south bank of the Umgwezi river was struck.
This river is of a different character to such
rivers as the Njoko, Lui, and Lumbi, and narrowly

210

THE UMGWEZI RIVER

resembles the great majority of South African
streams. The high, clean-cut banks and sandy
bed, growing tall reeds, are at most times water-
less, except for pools which occur at intervals,
but after heavy rains lead large volumes of water
from the high plateau at the source to the big
river which it helps to feed.

When I reached the Umgwezi a strong stream
washed both banks, travelling at the rate of about
five miles an hour, which I afterwards found to
be five feet deep at the ford.

The tent was pitched on a dry mound and I
rested all the afternoon, not considering it wise to
do more than ten miles or so a day until my
strength had returned. Here two of the boys
told me the next morning that they were too
sick to go on that day. I saw they had fever —
one of them, a youngster of about sixteen, badly.
Rather a bad beginning! I thought it best to
send them both back to Kazungula, and did so,
much to the disappointment of the younger one,
who had evidently set his mind on becoming the
possessor of a blanket and sitziba. In their
places I engaged two boys from a small village
near the river to accompany me in the dual
capacity of guide and carrier to the next district.
I always made a point when possible of having
one or two local boys present, from whom I
could get the names of rivers and places and
obtain other geographical information.

211

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

After the boys had tried to find a ford for
some little time, they discovered a place where it
was just possible to cross without the necessity
of swimming, the water in the deepest place
being just up to the chin. Subsequently every-
thing was landed on the north bank without
mishap, and as soon as I had dressed, the caravan
once more started forward. I had not gone more
than a mile and a half when a wildebeest bull
was disturbed, and cantering off for about 300
yards stood still. Following under cover of
isolated bushes I got a glimpse of his head and
neck between two trees, but the bullet entered
the neck just in front of the shoulder and he
went away, myself and boys following on the
blood spoor. A few hundred yards and a small
patch of bush was reached, from behind which
the wounded animal turned in flight. Just
as he wheeled round a bullet from the right
struck him low in the shoulder, and immediately
after one from the left entered his quarters — ten
yards further and down he came. The boys
thoroughly appreciated a good round meal, as
probably none of them had eaten meat for some
time.

After I had given them time to cut up the
remainder of the carcase, another start was made,
still through swamps ; but after going a further
three and a half miles camp was pitched, as the
swamps or the crossing of the river. had brought

212

POSTBOY TAKEN BY LIONS

on a relapse of my illness, and I felt somewhat
exhausted. In the meantime the smaller boy
I had sent back rejoined the caravan, so I
allowed him to remain.

The next morning, though feeling weak, I
realised that the sooner I got away from swamps
and wet feet the better for my chances of regain-
ing strength, so moved forward at 6.30 a.m.
After crossing the Nangombe, a small tributary
of the Umgwezi, some twenty feet wide and three
feet deep, I was glad to see rising ground a few
miles to the north, and continued the journey
more cheerfully.

A serval sprang out from the grass in a
small open plain and commenced a retreat, but
foolishly half turned round and stood about sixty
yards away. He tried to escape with a broken
shoulder, but was easily overtaken, skinned, and
ultimately eaten by the boys.

In the evening camp was formed on the banks
of the Sara river, a tributary of the Sejlefula,
after having done 14^ miles that day, and
curiously enough feeling much fitter than at the
commencement of the day s march.

The tent was pitched under a large tree, which
my guide afterwards told me had a few weeks
before been the scene of a Hon tragedy.

Two natives on their way to the Nkala mission

station with letters rested for the night at this

very place. During the night one boy was

213

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

disturbed by the cries of his companion, whom
a lion had seized and was at the moment
dragging away. The terrified boy at once
climbed into the tree, where he remained till
daybreak, and then leaving the mail behind
returned to Kazungula in post-haste to tell his
gruesome story.

I saw a large herd of warthog and a few
koodoo and pallah here, but failed to get a
shot.

After travelling seven miles the following

morning through a rising country, I halted to

allow the tail end of the caravan to come up.

After waiting some time there were still three

boys missing, so I walked back to see what

had become of them. In about three-quarters

of a mile I came across a boy lying down in

the pathway near his load, and to all appearances

asleep. As I roused him he turned over and

gave me a scared, vacant look, then staggered

to his feet. The poor boy, after reeling about

like a drunken man, finally fell to the ground.

This was the very boy who had followed me

from the Umgwezi, after having received orders

to return to Kazungula. Returning to the main

body of carriers I sent a couple of boys back

to bring him in. Fortunately there was a village

close by, so after summoning the headman I

arranged that he should look after the sick

boy and feed him till he was able to return to

214

A HEALTHY PLATEAU

his home, for which he received the price in
calico of sixty pounds of corn, and a similar
present was given to the boy to do what he
liked with. When I started he had recovered
hi? senses, and I have no doubt was perfectly
well a few days later.

That evening I camped on high and healthy
ground nearly 4,000 feet above the sea-level,
after a tramp of thirteen miles. I had suffered
no recurrence of dysentery since the day I crossed
the Umgwezi, and was already rapidly regaining
strength. A heavy thunderstorm broke over the
district in the afternoon, but was followed by a
clear night, which offered the first opportunity
since leaving Kazungula to take an astronomical
observation for latitude.

On the 22nd I travelled in an easterly direction
for eleven miles along the watershed of the left
bank tributaries of the Sejlefula, where the
country was charming. Wooded undulations
were every mile separated by broad grassy
valleys, down the centre of which small running
streams flowed. I was surprised to find that
this corner of the great Matoka plateau was
occupied by Matutela, almost every valley crossed
supporting a village of these people. Extensive
mealie fields surround each village, capable of
producing a large harvest under favourable
circumstances, but for the last few years huge
swarms of locusts have devastated the country

215

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

from north to south, and left barely enough corn
for seed purposes for the ensuing season.

On the 23rd I turned north again. The
village near which I camped on the previous
evening proved to be the last in the Matutela
country, and an hour's march brought me among
the Matoka. The characteristic difference be-
tween these two peoples is very striking. Living
within three miles of one another, speaking the
same language, and ruled alike by the same chief
— Liwanika — the inhabitants of the two villages
were as typically Matutela and Matoka respec-
tively as any other of their many villages which
lay on my route. The tall, slight figure of the
Matutela, with his pointed beard, and, for an
African, refined features, contrasted with the
thicker-set Matoka, with his more rounded features
and almost beardless chin.

That afternoon, after walking myself dry sub-
sequent to a heavy thunderstorm, I was induced
by the gathering clouds to pitch my tent and
avoid a second drenching. The camp was just
above a deep-cut valley, along which the Sejlefula
rushed down a steep, rocky bed. An extract from
my diary written that afternoon will at least
describe my impression of this part of the
country, and it is hoped convey an accurate idea
to the reader.

" The country here is destined to be a favourite
spot for white settlement. High and undulating

216

PROSPECTS OF MATOKALAND

— good soil and grass — semi-open — well-watered.
Trees picturesque, the predominant one bearing
a drooping leaf something like syringa ; others
at a short distance looking like chestnut, beech,
lime, and ash. There are many ant-heaps form-
ing mounds some ten to fifteen feet high, which
are almost invariably covered with trees. In the
gullies through which the numerous streamlets
flow huge blackish boulders rise here and there,
contrasting with the bright green grass of this
time of the year."

The healthy nature of this plateau seems to
leave nothing to be desired. Convalescent as I
was at the time from the worst and most weaken-
ing of African diseases, I rapidly regained vigour,
though — owing no doubt to hard work — never
managed to replace the 28 lbs. I had lost, until
after my return to civilization and comfort.

It would be folly to endeavour to colonise this

plateau under existing circumstances, in my

humble opinion, but a railway to the Victoria

Falls from Bulawayo will bring Matokaland in

the future nearer England than Matabeleland

was at the commencement of this year. When

once our south and north Zambezi possessions

are connected by rail, the risk of another such

famine in Rhodesia as so materially contributed

to the sum total of disaster in 1896 will be

diminished, for drought in Matabeleland does not

necessarily mean drought in the Marotse empire

217

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

— a better watered country and inhabited by a
more industrious people. In March, 1896, I left
behind a gathered harvest capable of keeping
Liwanika's people for two or three years. When
I reached Tati and Palapye what little corn there
was in the country had been imported from other
continents, and I believe shortly after mealies
were selling in Bulawayo at jCiS a bag!

218

CHAPTER XIII.

THE next day, being Christmas Eve, I
crossed the Sejlefula, and travelled about
seven miles to a picturesque spot 3800 feet
above the sea-level, where I decided to celebrate
Christmas.

As old vintage ports, plum puddings, and
turkeys were out of the question, I thought I
could not do better than dedicate that particular
day to the god of sport. I had shot a zebra
a couple of miles from camp, and despatched
some boys to bring in the meat, while the
remainder pitched the tent, built a " scherm " for
themselves, and collected wood.

At about four o'clock, after a cup of tea and a
pipe, I took three boys out in search of game;
for if possible I wished to kill two or three head
more which could be conveniently cut into strips
and dried the next day, and thus the larder would
be supplied for four or five days.

The first living animal that came under my

notice was a warthog boar carrying a large pair

of tusks. He was restlessly moving up and

down a patch of bare ground at the time in

219

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

search of some root or husk. The 300 yards
that intervened were open and sloping down
towards the game. Leaving the boys under
cover, I stretched myself on the ground and
wriggled towards the pig whenever he turned
his back my way. The old chap was evidently
fully alive to the necessity of keeping a look-out,
as he would frequently stand and look fixedly
first in one and then in another direction. So
long as he was looking away I came nearer and
nearer, but at times he compelled me to flatten
myself on the ground for a time, until he had
decided to his satisfaction whether I was animate
or inanimate. As the wind was right and he
could get no taint as evidence of the former
hypothesis, he each time gave the latter the
benefit of any doubt he may have felt. In this
way I got to about 150 yards of him — as near
as I thought wise to approach in so open a
country. Then, taking the first chance he
offered, I sat up and fired at his shoulder ; with
a grunt he rose from his knees, on to which
the shock had forced him, and went away lame
from the left shoulder.

In a moment or two the boys were on his
blood spoor, which was easily followed into the
open forest that bordered the plain. Following
this for about half a mile piggy was found lying
down in grass covert at the base of an ant-
heap. When disturbed he bolted, but after going

220

THE MERITS OF THE PIG

lOO yards rounded on me suddenly and charged.
But poor piggy was not a dangerous enemy.
The boys were all round and I did not think
it safe to fire, so stepped quickly aside. The
boar went straight on and followed one of the
boys, who likewise dodged him. Then seeing
no one in front he again turned and came for
me once more. This time as I stepped aside
he received an ounce of lead and died.

Not only did this litde incident give me the
best pair of tusks I had up to then secured,
but the pig was in excellent condition and was
the animal of all others that I would have
chosen to break the long meat fast imposed on
me since attacked by dysentery, and which
I had made up my mind should be brought
to an end on Christmas Day, as being the
only exceptional way available by which the
animal side of my nature could be reminded
that the most festive day of the most festive
season had arrived.

It may be amusing to some to know what
culinary experience has shown me is the way
to make the most of a pig one has been
fortunate enough to secure, and instructive to
others as demonstrating the fact that it is not
necessary for the African traveller to encumber
himself with all sorts of tinned abominations
in order to procure a palatable meal. With
this end in view, I will venture to give the

321

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

history of piggy from the time he is cut up
and taken into camp to the last stage in which
he retains his identity.

The feet, after being cleaned, scraped, and
deprived of hoofs, are put into a saucepan with
water, pepper, and salt, and boiled to a jelly.
The tongue, cut up into small pieces, can be
added with advantage. If after five or six hours*
cooking this is removed from the fire the last
thing at night, the jelly is cold and set in the
morning and makes an excellent meal, and is
always available at a moments notice until
finished.

The head, too, can be turned to excellent
advantage if placed in a hole under the camp
fire and allowed to remain there for eight or
ten hours. When cold, the cheeks especially
would please an epicure.

The liver and kidneys, either fried in a little
fat or stewed with thickened gravy, make a
better breakfast than is frequently served by
the professional cook.

Then chops or steaks can be fried, grilled,
or stewed. A joint, too, can be admirably
roasted with no more trouble than is entailed
by burying it in the cinders of a wood fire and
leaving it there for a length of time regulated
by its size.

We will leave out the question of black
puddings — I have never tried them.

222

A CHRISTMAS HUNT

On the way to camp I struck a quite fresh
koodoo spoor, and as I had not bagged one of
these most graceful of antelopes during my
present trip, left one boy in charge of the warthog
meat, sent another into camp to fetch fresh boys
to carry it in, and with the third spoored the
koodoos. Twice I disturbed the herd, but failed
to get a shot ; a third time, however, they were
sighted in the bush, and I managed to get to
sixty or seventy yards of them. Picking out one
whose head could not be seen distinctly, but
which appeared to have horns, I prepared to fire.
Just as my rifle was raised, the game took alarm
and turned to leave. However, I managed to
place a bullet in behind the animal's ribs as it
swerved round. The wounded koodoo fell, but
recovered itself in a moment and made off through
the bush. Half a mile of spooring revealed what
to my disappointment proved to be a cow and not
a bull, as had appeared. I say disappointment
because I never, on principle, kill females unless
my camp is quite out of meat

The sun was now on the horizon, so I returned
at once to camp and sent a relay of boys to
bring in the carcase that evening, as I had no
wish to feed jackals and hyaenas with fresh meat.

That early Christmas morning was fresh, bright,
and exhilarating as I crawled out of the tent a
few seconds after the sun commenced his daily
tour of duty.

223

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

As there were koodoo in the neighbourhood I
determined, if possible, to get a bull that morn-
ing, so took out my rifle and boys with the
intention of ignoring all other game, let the
temptation be never so strong.

But my powers of self-restraint were not
to be put to a test, for I had not walked more
than half a mile when one of the boys pointed
out a koodoo bull standing with his hind-quarters
towards me between two bushes. Without much
trouble I crawled up to a spot within sixty yards of
the game, from which I placed a bullet obliquely
behind the ribs. The bull bounded forward for
about ICG yards, when he suddenly fell to the
ground. Great scars on his shoulder and chest
showed that about three days earlier he had had
a narrow escape from a lion. I did not consider
the horns good enough to save, but his head
and neck-skin was taken to decorate a fine but
scalpless head, whose owner was killed by lions
close to my camp when in the Mangwato country
in 1891.

There was now as much meat as could be
carried conveniently, and enough to feed the
caravan for the best part of a week, so leaving
the boys to cut up the koodoo I retraced my
steps with a view to finishing my Christmas
Day in rest. And so I did, for the remainder of
the day I was compelled to remain within the four
walls of the tent. A terrific thunderstorm burst

224

CHRISTMAS DAY

over the camp a few moments after my return,
and was followed by a steady downpour which
lasted until evening.

It was impossible in such circumstances not to
ponder on the contrast between the festive gather-
ings of friends at home and the solitude of my
own surroundings. And yet I was not unhappy,
for I felt that single-handed I was succeeding in
my humble effort to do useful work in the interests
of the empire of which I am so proud to be a
citizen — and such a feeling, I take it, has some-
thing of reward in it to those who are not
entirely dependent on the approbation of others
for recompense or encouragement.

In the morning of the following day camp was
struck, and I travelled through a country still
pleasant, but not quite so useful-looking as that
through which I had passed during the preceding
few days. The tsetse fly became much more
numerous, and the native population very sparse.
In the evening, after travelling seventeen miles
and crossing two Machili tributaries, I camped on
a third, the Nanyate, at some distance from its
source — probably ten or twelve miles.

On the 27th I reached the Mua, a small tribu-
tary of the Nanzela, which feeds the Kafukwe
river, and the following day descended about 300
feet into a huge plain of mopani and swamp,
sorry to leave the magnificent plateau through a
corner of which I had travelled for the past week.
Q 225

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

This Matoka plateau practically supplies the
Umgwezi with all, and the Kasaia and Machili
with most of their water, whilst through the
Nanzela and other rivers it helps to swell the
current of the more important Kafukwe river.

On the 29th I find I made the following entry
in my diary :

" Rained the greater part of the night. Found
in the morning that nearly all of the meat was
consumed. That is to say : the pigs have eaten
somewhere about twenty-five pounds a day apiece
in four days, i.e., meat which before dried would
have weighed that. In spite of this one comes
to me this morning rubbing his stomach and
saying he is hungry."

As, according to native report, game was very
scarce for some distance, I sent back to a village
passed through on the previous evening a request
that corn should be brought for sale. A small
quantity only arrived, which I purchased, and
immediately continued the journey northwards.

In the evening, however, a herd of Lichen-
stein's hartebeest was sighted peacefully grazing
in a plain on which patches of long grass made
stalking comparatively easy, and consequently
I was able to get within fifty yards of the herd
without being noticed. In view of the reported
scarcity of game ahead, I made up my mind to
seize the opportunity and make hay while the sun

shone. I emptied both barrels at a couple of the

226

FOUR HARTEBEESTS BAGGED

antelopes, and by the time they had pulled up in
their surprise after cantering about fifty yards,
my rifle was reloaded, and I got a second right
and left home. Two lay dead with bullets
through the heart, a third walked away — poor
creature ! coughing up blood from the lungs, while
a fourth trotted off heavily, also with a lung

wound. Within a few minutes each had received

his coup de grdce.

I confess on occasions when I have been com-
pelled to shoot animals with no other object thaft
to feed my gluttonous carriers, to have fairly hated
the sound of my own rifle. It was impossible
for me to keep a check on excessive consump-
tion, as each boy had to carry his share of
meat, and the native African prefers carrying it
inside so far as possible. Thus on every oppor-
tunity, whether while marching or not, eating
goes on until there is nothing left to eat

Fortunately these animals were shot at the

base of rising ground, the existence of which

probably accounted for their presence in the

neighbourhood. It was consequently possible

to form camp clear of the swamps I had waded

through for the last two days. The carcases

were all brought into camp that evening, and

next day dried over fires. In the dry season

no further trouble is required in- the process

of drying meat than cutting the flesh into strips,

which are hung up in the shade if available. In

227

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

the moister atmosphere of the wet season a four-
cornered framework is constructed by driving
forked stakes into the ground, and these support
short poles on which a series of similar poles are
laid parallel to one another and about four inches
apart, and on them the strips of meat are placed
over a lighted fire.

On turning out next morning a large herd of
wildebeest was to be seen standing about 200
yards from the tent, gazing intendy at what to
them must have been quite phenomenal At
times so good an opportunity of procuring meat
without leaving my tent would have been most
acceptable. They stood with their heads up for
two or three minutes, when they turned and
went quiedy away.

The tsetse here were very troublesome, and for
some little time after sunset went for me so boldly
that I was able to consign many of them to my
collecting tube.

On the 31st I was again on the move. Six
miles of swamp and nine over slighdy rising
ground completed my work for the year 1895.

New Year's morn was bright and exhilarating
for some hours after sunrise, but towards midday
heavy clouds crept over the deep expanse of
blue, and with them the impressive booms of a
tropical thunderstorm grew nearer and louder as
the storm approached. Fortunately I had been
delayed in starting while waiting for two local

228

JANUARY 1ST, 1896.

boys whom I had sent for to act as guides,
so escaped the drenching my goods and self
would have suffered from the downpour of rain
that followed.

By one o'clock the rain had ceased, camp was
struck, and I was once more working my way
northwards. A four hours' march was put an
end to by the appearance of a couple of zebra
to the right of the track. After a short stalk
I placed a bullet in the shoulder of one of
them, but too far back, and the animal went
away with its mate. While following on the
blood spoor I found myself within seventy
yards of a herd of Lichenstein s hartebeest, and
as the sun was already below the horizon I
fired in case darkness should prevent my
coming up with the zebra. The antelope was
wounded in the lungs and went away. I
followed for some little distance, but losing the
spoor returned to that of the zebra. Some
three or four hundred yards further revealed
him standing with his head down and back to-
wards me. Creeping up I put hun out of his
misery before he had noticed my presence. It
is a curious fact that the hartebeest was found
dead by one of my boys within a hundred
yards of the zebra's carcase. He must have
retreated in a semicircle, as when I lost him
he was going away at right angles to the line

the latter had taken. There was a mission

229

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

Station in front, so far as I could judge about
two days' journey to the north, which had been
founded about two years previously by Messrs.
Buckenham and Baldwin. The former, whom
I had met at Kazungula in July, 1895, ^^^
kindly asked me to call in and spend a few
days with him in case my work took me
within measurable distance of his station. I
had heard from M. J alia that the famine was
so severe on the borders of the Mashikolumbwe
country, where Mr. Buckenham s station was,
that he had been obliged to send his boys
away to their homes owing to the absolute
impossibility of procuring food for them. As,
therefore, it was by no means certain that more
game would be met with, I impressed on the
boys the necessity of being careful with the meat,
telling them that they must make it last six
days as I intended resting at the Meruti's for
Sour days and would not hunt ; so that if they
ate all their meat in three days they would have
to starve for three before I attempted to kill any

fimore.

That night I succeeded in taking an astro-

. nomical observation for latitude, only the third
opportunity since leaving Kazungula, owing to
the continual obscuration of the stars by the
numerous white clouds that seldom cease to pass
iOveri the heavens during the wet season.

The result proved very encouraging, and

230

A FLOODED RIVER CROSSED

showed that constant practice had taught me
to estimate distances satisfactorily. The dis-
tance according to my route map was fifty-three
miles from the last point of observation, which
the sextant proved to be fifty-four.

On the 2nd I did not strike camp till twelve
o'clock, so as to allow the meat of the animals
shot on the previous evening to dry out a
little.

In the afternoon a serious obstacle presented
itself. The Nanzela river, across which the path
lay, was in flood — 200 yards wide and over-
head twenty yards from the bank.

I had an opportunity here of witnessing a piece
of native engineering. Trees stood in the water
to the borders of the natural bed of the river on
both sides. The boys felled first one tree and
then another, until a succession lay across the
stream to shallow water on the north bank —
a very crude bridge this was no doubt, but still
it enabled us to get across without disaster.

It was getting dark by the time this bridge
was completed, and it must be confessed I
anxiously watched my goods as they underwent
the precarious ordeal of being carried through
the river. At one time a branch would lead
through four feet of water, at another, a couple
of feet above the surface. With a current of
four miles an hour, and at times only a thin,
bending bough to steady the body, it required

231

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

a considerable amount of care to retain a foot-
hold, but somehow or other no mishap occurred
beyond the wetting of many of the loads. It
was a quaint sight to watch the string of black
bodies working their way through that flooded
forest, shouting and jabbering like a troop of
monkeys !

Cold and wet I pitched my tent on an old
ant-heap, and had a roaring fire made in front
of the doorway. A good dose of quinine, some
supper, and after that the blankets, and the day
was ended.

Fortunately there was sun the next morning,
so I was able to dry my maps, papers, and
such of my clothes as had been submerged on
the previous evening. I then started off through
the swamps which bordered the river for a few
miles, with the intention of reaching Mr. Bucken-
ham's mission station that evening if possible,
as the local natives told me it was only half a
day s journey away.

After marching about eight miles I came to

a cluster of villages known as Sezunga. These

people, as I afterwards discovered, are a mixed

tribe of Marotse, Mankoya, and Mashikolumbwe.

A Marotse chief of the name of Sezunga, about

half a century ago, had got into hot water over

some fishing rights, and incurred the displeasure

of the paramount chief. Information that his life

was in danger prompted him to gather his people

232

THE NKALA MISSION STATION REACHED

together and leave Borotse. He settled in the
district which still retains his name, on the
borders of the Mankoya and Mashikolumbwe
countries, and many fugitives from these tribes
joined him. A gruesome sight met my eyes as
I followed the path through a mealie field border-
ing on one of these villages. In the path the
body of a boy of about ten years of age lay;
a piece of bark by which he had been dragged
thither was fastened round the ankles, and a
wound on the left side of the head rather sug-
gested death by violence. The ground, now
dry, was becoming higher and higher as I
advanced. The bulk of the porters were far
behind, as I had hurried on so as to get my
"half- day's" journey over as quickly as possible.
It was long after dark, however, before I reached
the mission station accompanied by three boys,
and wet through, as the Nkala river, on the
north bank of which the station stands, was
swollen with the rains, and chin-deep in water
when I crossed.

I was extremely sorry to find sickness rife in
that isolated home. Mr. Buckenham, whom I
had seen six months before looking as hard as
nails, and in perfect health, was a complete
wreck, and simply full of fever. So weak was
he that he could only walk with difficulty. His
wife was also suffering from fever, and his little
daughter, a child of six, was reduced to a

233

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

skeleton, and the word death was written on the
poor child's face. Mr. Baldwin alone was in
good health, which was fortunate, as there was
only one boy on the station, and he had men-
tioned his intention of returning to his home at
Sesheke, as the time for which he had engaged
himself had expired.

Mr. Baldwin took me to a spacious hut, which
he placed at my disposal for as long as I should
stay at the station. After I had clad myself in
dry change of clothes which he lent me, I
returned to the dining-hut, where Mrs. Bucken-
ham had been kind enough to prepare a much-
appreciated supper. The man who has slept
on the ground for months realises the comfort
of a bed, and sleep came kindly that night.
The main body of my carriers arrived at noon
the following day.

At about 4.30 p.m. on the 5th, a steady down-
pour of rain commenced, and did not cease till
about 4.30 the following morning. Mr. Bucken-
hams rain gauge indicated that 2*53 inches had
fallen during these twelve hours. I remained
four days at the Nkala mission station. Obser-
vations for latitude placed the station in 15° 53'
7" S. Lat., and for altitude at 3290 feet above
the sea-level.

The boys of course finished the meat the day
after arrival. However, I reminded them of the
warning I had administered, and told them they

234

THE PORTERS' DREAD OF THE MASHIKOLUMBWE

would have to look for food on the veldt At
that time of year there were wild fruits and
berries in abundance. Rest I required, and rest
I intended to have.

During my sojourn here I had many interesting
conversations with Mr. Baldwin, who gave me
much information about the country and people.

The boys had at different times impressed
on me their estimate or affected estimate of the
Mashikolumbwe character, and I quite expected
some trouble before I succeeded in entering the
country these savages inhabited. According to
them they not only killed men but eat them.
The eating I was pretty sure was a libel, and the
killing I did not anticipate where a white man s
caravan was concerned. True, the only two
white men who had hitherto attempted to pene-
trate into their country had met with disaster on
the borders, but in each case the attack could be
explained.

Mr. F. C. Selous in 1888, as is known to every-
one who has read that most interesting book.
Travel and Adventure in South- Ea^t Africa^
which also includes his experiences north of the
Zambezi, had a most providential escape from
these people, and lost some of his boys and all
his effects. But, as he afterwards discovered, the
outrage was instigated by the rebel Marotse chief,
Monze, who, having been unsuccessful in his
attempt to purchase powder for use in his struggle

235

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTfeAL AF]

with his relative and sovereign, Li-
gated the Mashikolumbwe to proc
by means of treachery and miirdtr

Dr. Holub, too, the Austrian t
equally disastrous experience in i
was looted, his white servant n
and his wife had to retrace tL
Mashikolumbwe, however, statej
servant in some way exasper?J
their enmity was towards himi^
be reason for supposing the/
their story, or why did they 1
doctor and his wife, which t
done had they been so incli

Having regard, therefgd
in these two cases, I -
should repeat itself in ^^^^^^^^^^TffliTned
lo stick at nothing „.. . impossibility in

my attempt to find out something about the
country on the border of which circumstances
had placed me ; and my keenness was accentuated
by the sight of the fine broken country 1 could
see rising to the north of me. My friends the
missionaries kindly offered to take care of any
of my effects that I wished to leave behind, so
my toads were rearranged with a view to taking
only such things as were necessary for a two
months' trip. Thus should a looted camp and a
hasty retreat on the mission station become
necessary, I should not have to fall back on the
236

THE BOYS "JIB"

hospitality of my friends to supply the means for
the return journey.

When the boys saw that I was making ready
for a start, a deputation came to enquire what
direction I intended taking.

I asked :

*' Did you not engage yourself to follow me
wherever I wished to lead you ? "

''Yes."

"And did you not agree that unless you
accompanied me back to Kazungula you were
to receive no pay, as your blankets and sitzibas
would be wanted to pay the boys who returned
with me ? "

•*Yes."

** Then it does not matter to you where I go.
I will lead and you must follow."

They answered that they would not go into
the Mashikolumbwe country. I ordered them to
leave me, and continued to make arrangements
for departure.

I told Mr. Baldwin of this interview, and he
informed me that they had been speaking to him
on the same subject. He added :

**You may take my word for it they won't go
among the Mashikolumbwe ; they are afraid of
them. They all say they won't go across the
river.'*

Both Mr. Baldwin and myself took it for

granted that they referred to the Kafukwe, or as

237

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

the Mashikolumbwe call it, the Loenge — ^their
word for " river."

In face of these circumstances, I decided to
modify my plans. By going in a direction about
twenty degrees north of west for seventy or
eighty miles, I ought to strike my old route at the
source of the Niambe, and thus be able to supply
an important longitudinal check by joining the
two sections of my map. Then I would travel
north-east until I could prevail upon some chief
to give me a few boys, with whom I would
make an incursion into the heart of Boshiko-
lumbwe.

With these plans in mind I bade au revoir
to my hospitable friends, and started away in the
direction indicated on the evening of January
the 8th.

238

CHAPTER XIV.

ON the evening of leaving Nkala, after march-
ing about four miles, just as it commenced
to grow dark, I got a shot at a wildebeest and
wounded him in the shoulder. He went away
slowly and I gave chase, but unfortunately had to
return empty-handed for want of light. The
boys were decidedly sulky and inclined to give
trouble. Their spontaneous willingness to take
service with me at Kazungula was receiving an
explanation. They evidently expected to force
my hand by refusing to go beyond Nkala, and
thus compel my return to Kazungula. They had
failed, and now the only way left by which they
could carry out their wishes was desertion,
which spelt no pay and a future reckoning with
Liwanika.

On the 9th I came across a herd of hartebeest,
but failed to get near them, and shortly after-
wards missed a warthog. This was unfortunate,
as the boys had had very little food during the
past four days.

At midday I reached a kopjie which I
ascended. From the summit, after climbing a

239

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

tree — for the bush was thick — I obtained a good
view of the country beyond, and took a few
compass bearings on the many hills which
rose in all directions above the forest This
was the first piece of country I had passed
through in which it had been possible to make
any use of my prismatic compass.

In the afternoon I came to a dense, impene-
trable forest, through which a single man could not
go far unless he carried an axe to cut his way
through the entanglement of creepers and under-
growth that blocked the way. Such dense forest
is very rare on the great African plateau so far
south. In fact, this was the first occasion on
which I had come to impenetrable forest
Fortunately it was possible to skirt its northern
confines without going much out of my direction,
otherwise progress would have been both tire-
some and slow.

In the evening, while crossing one of the

numerous grass valleys that intersected the

forest, I had another opportunity of replenishing

the larder, and this time with good result A

warthog rose about seventy yards in front, and

with tail erect ran off in an oblique direction to

my path. I fired, and although he seemed to

quiver as the rifle went off, I was by no means

sure that the bullet had struck home, as I heard

no '* thut" Still I bolted after him as fast as my

legs could carry me, hoping at worst to get

240

THE PORTERS LAG BEHIND

another shot. He had gone quite 200 yards
when he suddenly tripped and fell. The bullet
had entered behind the ribs and, travelling for-
ward, had carried away an extraordinarily large
piece of the lower part of the animals heart.
Such a case shows the importance of following
up game for a short distance at least, even when
the hunter is inclined to think he has missed his
mark.

The next day towards noon I was stopped by
a river with high, clean-cut banks, and from
seventy to a hundred yards wide. It proved to
be the Musa river, an affluent of the Kafukwe,
flowing in a direction slightly to the north of east.
It belongs to the same type as the Umgwezi, and,
when I first saw it, carried water from bank to
bank. From the size of this river and its appa-
rent direction, it seemed that it must have its
source no great distance from that of the Njoko,
so I conceived the idea of tracing it thither.

After waiting a long time for the boys, who

had evidently made up their minds to delay as

much as possible, since they had failed to turn

me, I followed the bank of the river for about

i^ miles, and there stopped and set Muliphi — the

only boy with me — to work to collect wood and

light a fire. In the meantime I took my rifle and

went in search of game, but the only thing I

saw was a duiker, which I bagged and brought

into camp.

R 241

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

To my annoyance none of the boys had put
in an appearance. They started in the early
morning from a spot only 7J miles distant, and
now it was four p.m., and not one had turned
up. Unfortunately I had not a single boy I
could trust, or who was capable of acting as
head boy, and it was impossible for me both to
lead the way and drive on the stragglers. Pony,
a Natal Zulu, was not only useless and untrust-
worthy, but was also a wreck from fever or liver,
or both. Lecharu, a Bamangwato, had never
quite recovered from his illness at the Njoko
camp, and he had absolutely no control over
the porters ; they laughed at him when he
ordered them to collect wood or bring water.
Muliphi, also a Bamang^ato, was a bright little
chap, and more trustworthy than the other two,
but he was too young to act as headman, and
also too small — the porters would have none
of him either. In these circumstances I had to
give every order myself and personally see to
everything, or else nothing would ever have been
done. So now the only thing for it was to tramp
back on my own footsteps and bring on the
boys. After walking about a couple of miles I
met these bright specimens of humanity leisurely
approaching. A good rating by way of letting
off steam relieved me and made them move a
bit quicker, but otherwise I do not suppose
troubled them much.

242

LECHARU REPORTED DEAD

After being in camp an hour or so I noticed
for the first time that the boy Lecharu was
missing, and asked Pony what had become of
him.

** He is dead, baas."

"Dead!" I exclaimed; **how is he dead?" For
in the morning he showed no signs of being
seriously ill.

*' He is not quite dead, but he could not come
on. He is very sick and will be dead soon, so
we left him behind."

Such is the nature of the African. Sooner
than take the trouble to help this unfortunate
boy forward he was left to die.

I immediately ordered two boys to return and
help the sick boy in. At first they refused, but
only for a moment, then they went in a hurry.
A lion was to be heard about a mile off, apparently
moving in a direction parallel to the river, so
far as could be judged by the sound of his roar.
Should this be so he would strike our spoor, and
probably follow it to where Lecharu lay.

In something over an hour the two boys
returned and stated that they could not get
Lecharu on to his legs, so had to leave him. Being
by no means certain that they had been further
than ICO yards from camp, I decided to take them
back with Muliphi and see what could be done.

It was dark, there being no moon, so it was

no pleasant work finding the way over the rough

243

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

ground, for there was no path. However, in
about half an hour I was guided to the place
where the sick boy lay. He was not dead,
but had quite lost his senses, and finding he
could not stand on his legs, I made one boy
hold on to each shoulder and the third carry his
legs, but he kicked and struggled so violently
that only one way out of the difficulty remained.
A large fire was lighted, and leaving Muliphi
with instructions to remain with him through
the night, I returned to the camp, prepared a
pint of soup, to which was added about twenty
grains of quinine, and sent it back by two boys,
instructing them to bring Lecharu into camp in
the morning if possible.

I told the remainder that evening that I had
no intention of allowing them to continue their
conduct of the last two days, for they had made
it impossible for me to travel more than six or
seven miles a day since leaving the Nkala station.
'• I have had enough of this sort of thing,** I
said ; " you had better return to Kazungula and
I will send back to Musanana" (a chief near
Nkala) "for boys to take your place.*'

If the African native imagines that the traveller

is entirely dependent upon him he will behave

accordingly, so to show my independence I

affected to be prepared to adopt a course

which in reality I should have been sorry to

take, for Musanana's Mashikolumbwe, I knew

244

THE BOYS GIVE TROUBLE

from Mr. Buckenham, combined all the vices
and none of the virtues of the savage.

"If you will give us our pay we will go back
to Kazungula," they replied.

"What about Musanana's boys.** they must
have your blankets and sitzibas, for they will do
your work."

One after another they came to the conclusion
that they would remain with me.

** That depends on yourselves," I added ** If
you continue to give me trouble I will turn you all
out of camp, and send for the Mashikolumbwe."

Early the next morning the sick boy turned
up in camp. He had quite recovered his senses,
but was of course very weak. As the day was
very hot I allowed him to rest till afternoon, and
myself took the opportunity to hunt for beedes.
At about three o'clock I advanced up the river
in easy stages.

Koodoo, zebra, reedbuck, pallah, and grysbuck
were to be seen during the march, but I only got
a shot at a pallah, which however went away
unhurt.

After doing six and a half miles I camped
shortly after five o clock, and set off with three
boys to look for game.

It was getting dark while returning to camp,
when I noticed a waterbuck standing sideways
on only about sixty yards away. A bullet behind
the shoulder sent him off, but after following for

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

about loo yards he was found dead partly sub-
merged in a pool of water.

Lions were to be heard again in the neigh-
bourhood of the camp, but they never seemed
to approach very near.

The boys did not appear so happy over the
carcase of the waterbuck as they invariably had
been in the presence of fresh meat. They sat
in groups and talked in subdued voice. These
two facts told me there was something in the
wind, and I wondered in what direction their
perversity would lead them.

It is said that the native African porter com-
bines the stupidity of the ox and the ass, but
lacks the intelligence of either.

After travelling a couple of miles the next
morning I shot another waterbuck, and had to
wait over an hour before the boys came up.
The same old tale!

Another three miles and I reached a place
where the river was fordable, and made up my
mind to cross to the north bank, where I halted
for the hot hours. It had taken five hours to do
as many miles !

At about three o clock I was stooping down

over the light refreshment haversack with which

a boy always accompanied me in case I felt

inclined for a bit of bread and a cup of tea, when

on raising my head I noticed that all the porters

had absconded, and my three South Africans

246

THE PORTERS DESERT

alone remained. I went a short distance towards

the river bank in the hope of catching a glimpse

of them, and returned to find that two of their

number were still in camp.

" What are you doing here ? " I asked angrily.

** Why don't you go with the other boys ? "

"We want to remain with you, N'tate."

" Why do you want to remain with me ? "

** We wish to go back with you to Kazungula."

" But I am not going to Kazungula yet. I

am going there first," I said, pointing to the

north.

"We will go where you go, N'tate,'* they

answered.

"If you are women like the other boys you

had better follow them ; but if you are not afraid

to go with me among the Mashikolumbwe you

may stay."

Why these boys did not desert with their

fellows I never could quite understand, unless

it was that they feared Liwanika s wrath. That

loyalty to me was a cause I do not for a moment

believe, more especially as one of them proved

to be not only lazy, as he always had been,

but an incorrigible thief as well. The other was

an intelligent, willing boy, and most amusingly

conceited.

It did not take more than a moment or two

to decide on my future action. I had ascertained

that a Mashikolumbwe chief, by name Kaiyngu,

247

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

of whom Liwanika had spoken, lived apparently
about forty miles to the north-east I would pitch
my tent over the bulk of the goods, leave the two
sick boys Pony and Lecharu to look after them,
and as soon as I had shot enough meat to feed
them for two or three weeks set off with the two
remaining porters and Muliphi for Kaiyngu and
try to arrange with him to send back boys for
my loads.

In the meantime I noticed one of the deserters
in the bush about lOO yards off. They had
taken all the meat and their skin blankets
with them, so it was obvious to me they did not
intend returning, and besides, they had been
such a source of annoyance of late that I felt
almost relieved at their departure, in spite of the
predicament they had placed me in.

Now I did not want to shoot game for my
two boys and return to find that the deserters
had come back for the meat in order to provide
food for their journey, and thus leaving my
boys to starve or feed on my own scanty supply
of meal, so I determined to give this boy
a fright which I felt sure would clear them
all out of the neighbourhood for good. As I
walked towards my rifle off went the boy at top
speed ; then, taking care of course that the bullet
should pass some yards to his left, I fired the
right barrel. He never turned to look round,
find shortly had disappeared from view in the

248

TWO ZEBRAS SHOT

bush, nor did I ever see him or any of his fellows
again.

I then took the three sound boys out in
search of game, and I was not long in coming
across three zebras, a stallion, a mare, and a
six-months-old colt. If I could only manage to
bag the two full-grown animals I should be able,
I thought, to make a start first thing in the
morning, so spared no pains in getting as close
as possible to the game, and secured the two of
them with a left and right.

Then the sadness of necessity showed itself.
The colt after cantering away returned to look
for his missing dam. The poor little creature
came to within a few yards of me every now
and then, trotting round and round in a circle
and neighing piteously. I had never before
found it necessary to fire at game with calf or
foal at foot, and hope I shall never have to do
so again.

The meat was brought to camp at once, cut
into strips, and hung to dry. In the meantime I
piled up my loads inside the tent with the tin
cases underneath, and resting in their turn on a
wooden foundation to afford protection as far as
possible from the attacks of the white ant.

The boy Lecharu while tying up a bag fell
down senseless. With his eyes fixed and open
and limbs motionless I at first thought he was
dead; however, on finding that his heart was

249

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

Still in motion, cold water was applied to his
temples and he shortly came round, though he
did not recover his senses till the following
morning. During the whole evening he would
continually rise to his feet and walk aimlessly
about followed by his brother tribesman Muliphi,
who would bring him back to his place and force
him to the ground again.

Thus for the first time I discovered that he
suffered from some kind of fit, probably epileptic
On enquiring of Muliphi I was told that they
had constantly recurred for the last few years.

Early next morning — the 13th — I put up about
ten pounds of meal and some tea, saccharine,
and such-like necessaries as provision for ten or
twelve days. Having already found out that
master Pony preferred my food to his own —
when he thought he could acquire it unknown
to myself — I carefully weighed what meal I had
left, which with care was just enough to last me
until I once more reached civilization.

Mr. Baldwin had told me that Kaiyngu was
almost due north of Nkala, and as I knew how
far I had moved to the west it was not difficult
to determine the probable direction I ought to
take. The boys, of course, knew there was
such a place and such a chief as Kaiyngu, but
had no notion of the whereabouts. I took them
on to a rising piece of ground, where hills were
to be seen in the distance in a direction some

250

GOING NORTHWARD

twenty degrees east of north, told them that
Kaiyng^ lay just beyond those hills, and that
I was going to take them to a hill which was
to be seen about forty miles away. They were
at a loss to understand how I knew, as no white
men had been near that place before, so I told
them I knew by looking at my compass.

Taking a bee-line I left my goods and chattels
behind, wondering whether I should find any-
thing there on my return. Since the day after
leaving Nkala I had not seen any sign of human
beings, so had hopes that the Mashikolumbwe
would not find the tent, which was pitched behind
a huge ant-heap some 400 yards from the river.

After travelling about a mile and a half I came
to a tributary similar in character to and scarcely
smaller than the Musa, into which it flows, sub-
sequently discovering that it bore a most impos-
ing name — Marundumgoma.

For the rest of the day I passed through

a most pleasing country — undulations covered

with forest and frequently intersected by open

valleys and streams. After about fourteen miles

marching I camped on the borders of one of these,

and, unaccountable as it may seem, felt thoroughly

happy and content with everything. Whether, in

spite of the predicament in which the absconding

porters had placed me, the disappearance of such

perverse dependents was an unconscious relief, or

whether the "glorious uncertainty" of the next

251

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

few days and the interest attaching to research in
a country which already showed signs of being
full of interest as it was of mystery, was the cause
of this I cannot say, but whatever the cause the
effect was perfect contentment.

Before sunrise the next morning the boys
disturbed my slumbers to show me a herd of
hartebeest standing less than lOO yards from
camp, which they were watching intently. I
rolled out of the hammock, which was slung
between a couple of trees, and seized my i6-bore.
Though there was lots of time to fire I was little
more than half awake, and before my eyes were
in a condition to take a good aim the animals
had evidently found out all they wanted to know,
so left in a hurry.

I was obliged to travel slowly that day, as the
grass was long and the boys with their bare
feet felt the want of a foot-path, for even with
care their toes were cut by the sharp, saw-like
edges of the grass. My own feet were, of course,
protected up to now, but for how much longer
they would be it was impossible to judge, as
my veldt-schoons were only held together by an
interlacing of iron wire.

As I advanced the country became higher and

higher, more broken, and in places rocky, until in

the evening I camped near a stream about a mile

from the hills I had selected as my objective two

days ago. During that time no glimpse of them

252

A FINE COUNTRY

had been obtainable on account of the forest, and
I must have passed within half a mile of these
hills before camping. As I afterwards found,
they are known as Namabuba, and the stream
which has its source among them as Nama-
kungu.

The country I had travelled through, which
is similar in character to what I saw hereafter
during my stay in Boshikolumbwe, I find
described in my diary as **the most pleasant
I have seen, high and dry, soil good, fertile
valleys, open bush." Up to now no sign of
human habitation had been seen.

After once more patching up my shoes with
wire — for they had again broken asunder in
places — I started off for the hills, selecting for
ascent a large round granite kopjie, on which the
only vegetation grew from the cracks which had
gathered a certain amount of soil.

From the summit I got an excellent view
of the surrounding country, and took some half-
dozen compass bearings and a photograph look-
ing northwards.

On returning I met two Mashikolumbwe, who
pointed in the direction I was taking as being
that of Kaiyngu. From scraps of conversation
I had heard fall from the boys, I judged they
were by no means confident that I knew where
I was going. On the previous day I heard one
of them give as his opinion that it was an absurd

253

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

thing for the macore ho tsamaia ka pele — the
white man to lead the way. Now that they
saw that by means of my compass I had brought
them right in spite of forest and cloudy sky,
they did not disguise their surprise; and Muliphi,
with the superstition of ignorance, insisted that
my compass was schellem^ which denotes anything
that is uncanny, be it evil spirit, vicious man,
or noxious animal.

Early in the afternoon I continued my journey,
reaching a Mashikolumbwe village in about an
hour. There were no men to be seen, and a
few women only. These latter gave me quite
an enthusiastic reception, especially one old lady,
who jabbered out her welcomes at a surprising
rate, and shrieked to all the other ladies in the
village to come out and see the white man.

The name of the village, or rather I should
say cluster of villages, was Edzumbe. Imagine
a clearing of about 300 acres planted with
mealies from end to end, and studded with
several small clusters of round huts, with grass-
thatched roofs extending almost to the ground,
and round each of these a strong stockade some
twelve feet high planted deep in the ground and
firmly bound together — such is the Mashiko-
lumbwe village of Edzumbe, which is typical of
the larger centres among these peoples.

While descending from the high ground on
which the village stands, I passed several

254

UNPREPOSSESSING SAVAGES

Mashikolumbwe warriors, and I must say was
not favourably impressed either with their
manner or appearance. Savages whose sole
article of apparel consisted in a leather necklet
constructed on the principle of a bootlace, on
which is threaded either a large bead or two,
the horn of a small antelope, or the hoof of a
goat, their hair plus that of their wives — who
are clean shaven — worked up with some gum-
like preparation into a semi-spherical chignon on
the back of the head, and armed cap-d-pied with
assegai, axe, bow, and poisoned arrows — they
passed within a few feet of me without greetings
or remark, scarcely a glance, and sometimes a
sneer. Never having seen a white man before,
the ignoring of my presence by one and all of
them, whether they passed by singly or in small
groups, could only be remarkable if not hostile.

I was barely two miles past the village when one
of the boys noticed an eland on the outskirts
of the forest which bordered the open vale along
which I was travelling. Making a detour, a fire
was lighted in the forest, the two porters left to
look after the few goods and chattels I had with
me, and I set off with Muliphi in pursuit of the
game. In a short time five eland cows were
in sight, but they took alarm and went away
without giving a chance of a shot. While
following the spoor across an open valley, a
herd of zebra were to be seen just within the

255

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

forest opposite, and to their right a herd of ten
or a dozen Lichenstein's hartebeest. Throwing
myself on my stomach, I crawled to an ant-heap
within sixty yards of the hartebeest Just as I
pulled the trigger the herd looked up — a click,
and off they went. I had very cleverly stalked
my game with an empty rifle. On looking up
four different herds were to be seen all within
a short distance of one another in the forest —
eland, hartebeest, pallah, and zebra.

The eland had not seen me, but trotted slowly
off, being put on the qui vive by the retreat of
the hartebeest. I decided therefore to once more
devote my energies to them, as their flesh is
better eating, and their fat — a luxury seldom
found in any other African antelope — is soft, and
does not stick to the roof of the mouth,
Muliphi spoored, and my eyes were well to the
front until I once more observed these splendid
animals grazing about 300 yards away, but un-
fortunately the pallah which were between them
and myself saw me and bolted ; thus for the
second time the eland were apprised of a hidden
danger and trotted slowly away. Once more they
were sighted, and once more I crawled slowly
through scant covert towards them, eventually
finding myself behind a huge, bush-covered ant-
heap, within 150 yards of them. They had quite
settled down now, picked leisurely at the grass and

young leaves, and plied their tails from flank to

256

A FAT ELAND COW SHOT

flank in contest with the flies that worried them.
I had been in pursuit for two hours, and now had
to wait some minutes in the hopes of getting a
shot at a fat cow with exceptional horns which
would not show herself in the open, though the
others gave me an excellent chance one after the
other. When they once more trekked forward,
I regretted I had been so fastidious in ignoring
all but the best. Again I followed, and under
cover of a stunted bush got to within lOO yards.
This time fortune favoured, the cow I coveted
showed me her shoulder ; I fired and down she
came. She proved to be fat, and carried one of
the best pairs of eland cow-horns I have seen.

The game had taken me in detour to within a
mile of the village. I at once sent Muliphi to
bring the two other boys and their loads in, and
decided to camp by the carcase for the night.

Either the report of the rifle or the smell of
fresh meat attracted a gang of Mashikolumbwe,
headed by their chief, who was dressed in the
same unostentatious fashion as his subjects.
Gold works wonders where the consciences and
affections of civilized races are concerned ; so, too,
meat with the African native will make a friend
of an enemy, and the paths of him who supplies
it smooth. Consequently these very savages
who had scowled on me three hours earlier were
now both affable and friendly — in fact seemed to
think I was not such a bad sort of person after
s 257

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

alL Putting together my first rec^)don and
subsequent experiences with the pec^le of their
tribe, I am not certain that this eland cow did
not save me consideraUe inconvenience.

I took the opportunity of finding out firom
diese people the names of the rivers and hills
in their neighbourhood, and, as was my invariable
custom, whedier die rarer and more sought after
species of big game were to be found.

That evening I had two experiences of the
petty worries and annoyances which the African
traveller is frequendy subjected to, but with
which I have not made it the rule to worry the
reader. The eland head with the neck had been
severed from the body, and awaited its turn to
be skinned and cleaned as a specimen. A good
deal of chopping was of course going on all
round, as my own boys and my Mashikolumbwe
guests energetically (the African native is
energetic where meat is concerned) cut up the
eland. Wishing to prepare everything for an
immediate start in the early morning, I told
Muliphi to bring the head to me and skin it
under my supervision, a precaution I always
found necessary if I wanted my orders carried
out correctly. He returned to tell me that
Macumba — the less intelligent of my "loyal**
porters — had spoiled the skin. I went to see
what had happened, and found that the left cheek
had been used as a butcher's block and the skin

258

TRIFLING WORRIES

was hacked and cut about in every direction*
I was not very pleased with Macumba.

Eland marrow bone is a luxury, and once in a
way I appreciate a grilled bone. Muliphi, by my
orders, had saved one and put it aside till
wanted. But lo ! when that time came, the bone
was nowhere to be found, until, on search being
made, it transpired that Letangu — the more
intelligent of my "loyal" porters — ^was already
three parts through his master's supper. And
thus I was robbed of my bone.

The chief of Edzumbe, after impressing on
me that Kaiyngu was quite an insignificant
person as compared with himself — no doubt
with the object of inducing me to sojourn
where I was for a short . time and supply him
and his people with more meat — undertook to
lend two boys to accompany me as far as the
chiefs town, and to carry a small load of
meat each on the condition that I gave him
the rest of the carcase.

These boys were ready to start in the early
morning, and, with a view to ensuring the safe
conduct of the meat, I told them that when
I reached my destination I would give each a
"bonsela" of beads.

After 4i miles* march I halted for breakfast
Macumba and Letangu had not put in an
appearance when I continued my journey, though
at the time I thought nothing of an occurrence

3S9

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

by no means uncommon. As I advanced
my mind became uneasy. Had these boys
absconded with my things? or had the Mashi-
kolumbwe waylaid and robbed them ?

Muliphi was sure they would not desert here,
and certainly reason was in favour of his view.
African natives think twice before molesting
a white man or his servants, and so long as
the two missing boys belonged to me they
were comparatively speaking safe, though to
what extent was a matter of doubt in this
particular country. Once, however, their con-
nection with a white man became severed, they
would have small chance if they fell in with
any Mashikolumbwe warriors, for it is the
custom of the country either to knock any
native stranger on the head at sight, or, if young
and presentable, enslave and sell him to the
half-caste Portuguese "ivory" traders who
occasionally visit their country.

But the second hypothesis gave me some

anxiety, as these two boys carried most of

the few necessaries I had brought with me —

a Mannlicher, shot-gun barrels, and all my

ammunition save nine i6-bore cartridges which

were in my belt, most of my scanty supply of

groceries and the beads, etc. That afternoon

I passed through a picturesque broken country,

falling away towards the Kafukwe river, which

was but a short distance to my right A cluster

260

KAIYNGU

of large kopjies rose in front, close to which
I had been given to understand Kaiyngus
head-quarters were. Here I rested for a short
time to fill in the route sketch of the last stage,
as was my invariable custom throughout when-
ever a halt was made.

" Letangu lapa," Muliphi suddenly ejaculated.

I looked up, and sure enough Letangu ap-
proached, closely followed by Macumba. The
suspicion of disaster had caused me more
anxiety than its realisation would have done.
I was so pleased to see the pair of black faces,
each with a broad grin stretching nigh from
ear to ear, that I omitted to upbraid them
for the anxiety they had caused me. It
transpired that they had taken the wrong path
while passing through the precincts of a deserted
village, but knowing that Kaiyngu lay behind
the hills in front had eventually struck my spoor
a short distance back.

A few hundred yards further on the stockade
of the village was to be seen, so I turned off to
the right and followed the course of a small
stream for about a quarter of a mile, and here
selected a shady spot for camping.

When everything was settled and a bivouac

of boughs had been constructed to protect me

from the rains and dews, I left Macumba to look

after the camp and, with Muliphi and Letangu,

went to see what manner of man Kaiyngu was.

261

CHAPTER XV.

OUTSIDE Kaiyngus stockade a subject
told me the chief was within, and led
the way into the centre of the compound.
Around the inside of the compound was a circle
of round huts, and in the centre a larger one,
in front of which was a good-looking native
with grey hair and beard, clothed in a blanket,
and seated on a wooden stool.

He rose as I entered, we shook hands and
exchanged ** greetings."

Then I conversed through Letangu, who
understood the Mashikolumbwe language — or,
more correctly speaking, "dialect"; for I am told
by the missionaries that there is no more
difference between the Mashikolumbwe language
and that of the Marotse than there is between
the English of the Yorkshire '* yokel " and his
Devonshire brother, though it is so far distinct
that while Letangu could converse freely, neither
Macumba nor Muliphi could make themselves
understood without considerable difficulty.

'* I am glad to be here at last, Kaiyngu," I said.

" I have come a long way to see you."

262

THE CHIEF KAIYNGU

"It is very good of the ' Macore ' to journey
so far to see me," he replied. " I bid him
welcome to Kaiyngu."

" The Morena (chief), Liwanika, told me about
you when I was at Lialui. He said you were
subject to him, are a good chief, and would give
me help if I wanted it"

Many Mashikolumbwe chiefs have acknow-
ledged Liwanika as their paramount chief, and
send a tusk, a leopard skin, or food stuffs annually
as a tribute and acknowledgment of suzerainty.
In this way they escape being raided, and are
practically as independent as ever they were.

" Yes," he said, ** I know Liwanika. I once
went to see him in Borotse."

One thing struck me at once in the manner of
this chief Liwanika speaks in a quick, some-
what nervous manner, at times almost stammering
in his hurry to get out his sentence. Kaiyngu
had struck off this mannerism to a nicety, and it
was at times almost impossible to believe that his
better was not speaking. " Imitation is the
sincerest flattery," and apparently black men
suffer from the same weakness as the civilized
race whose idiosyncrasies have given birth to
this and other proverbs.

And so we talked till there was nothing more
to talk about In the meantime I was much
interested by my surroundings. The sun was
just setting, and gilded everything with a golden

263

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

richness on which his declining rays played as he
bade adieu to shed his lustre in other climes.
Through the stockade these streaks of light cast
an almost unnatural brightness on the scene
within, so intense and vivid was the contrast
between the golden light and the dull, sombre
shade. Wandering about in the clear space
between the huts of the chief and his people
were some ten head of Mashikolumbwe cattle.
These miniature animals belong to the neater
and more graceful class of cattle, and more
nearly resemble the Ayrshire in shape than any
other breed at home. I have measured a full-
grown cow at thirty-six inches at the shoulder.
Among the cattle, some of which were being
milked, cocks and hens and little naked niggers
wandered at their own sweet will, while in the
background, squatting in front of their huts, sat
the women, closely scrutinising a member of that
mysterious race of which they had often heard,
but had never till now seen a specimen.

The chief and myself had said all we wanted,
and I was about to bid him adieu, when a tall,
dreamy-looking native appeared from behind
some huts carrying a huge native ** piano," four
or five feet from end to end, which, as I subse-
quently found, produced by no means unpleasant
music through the medium of a couple of drum-
sticks and the combination of iron-work and some
eight different-sized calabashes attached.

264

NATIVE MUSIC

The musician, who was draped in a long, flow-
ing, blue and white plaid robe, slowly advanced to
a hut immediately opposite. There he seated
himself with an air of nonchalance, and leisurely
prepared to air his talent. Then in sonorous tones
to his own accompaniment he warbled out a song
in honour of the white man who had come from
afar to see his chief.

This over, I congratulated Kaiyngu on the
excellence of his band, and retired to my bough-
built bivouac, dinner, and sleep.

The sun had not risen when the soft, subdued
tones of Kaiyngu's band once more struck my
ears and woke me abruptly from sleep. Putting
my head round the corner, the tall, dreamy-looking
native approached at the head of a single file
procession, beating lustily at his instrument,
which was supported by a cord passed round the
back of his neck. Next came the chief himself,
and behind men and boys of most ages from
fourteen to forty-five.

The old man was now clothed in his Sunday
best — a striped cotton shirt with a belt round
the waist, and a coloured handkerchief placed
turban-like on his head, and over his shoulders a
white cotton blanket All his retainers, too, had
something on, though not very much. It is the
custom throughout Liwanika's empire to sling
from a waistbelt fore and aft a small strip of skin.

The leading inhabitants of Kaiyngu, being more

265

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

advanced than their neighbours, have not only
adopted this fashion but have dispensed with the
gum-and-wool chignon, worn almost universally
by the Mashikolumbwe,

After wishing lunula, the old chief called up
the small boys that followed him — bright, good-
looking little fellows — ^and presented them to me
one by one with the simple statement, **This
is Kaiyngu."

I discovered afterwards that the old gentleman
is the father of a numerous family ranging from
forty years of age to something very near zero.
Each and every one of these were always
addressed simply as ** Kaiyngu," and though
I presume they must have some distinctive
auxiliary name I never heard one applied save
to the father, to whom his people occasionally
referred as *' Morena," or chief.

In answer to my request that he should dis-
patch a dozen boys to bring on my things from
the Musa camp, Kaiyngu affected to be only
too delighted to accede to my wishes that very
day, and I was led to suppose in the evening
that the boys had been sent under guidance
of my boy Macumba. After the chief and his
principal men and sons had partaken of cold
eland meat he departed, and I took my rifle
and strolled down to the river, which was
about a mile from the encampment The path
wound its way through thick bush until within

266

THE KAFUKWE RIVER

lOO yards of the Kafukwe. When my eyes
rested on a picturesque river with high banks
and 400 yards of deep, clear water, I confess
to having been not a little surprised to find
the Kafukwe approach if it did not equal the
Zambezi in size at the same distance — between
three and four hundred miles — from the conflu-
ence of the two streams. As I strolled along
the bank two or three lots of pookoo were to be
seen grazing on the open flats which bordered on
the river about two miles up stream.

One of these herds, a nice ram and five or six
does, took alarm, and in their flight turned up
a narrow valley skirted by bush. I followed
them under cover for about half a mile, when
they were found grazing quietly a short distance
from a large ant-heap, by means of which I
placed myself within 150 yards of them.

A bullet from my i6-bore struck the ram in
the right place, he staggered forward two or
three paces, then fell dead.

On returning to camp I sent a hind-quarter
to Kaiyngu, and after keeping what I wanted
for myself and boys, distributed the remainder
among the Mashikolumbwe who had accom-
panied me. The natives had been living on
nothing but wild roots for many months, which
their women spent the whole day in search of.
Although there was plenty of game in the

neighbourhood it was little or no good to this

267

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

inferior tribe, the members of which are too lazy
even to hunt. I frequently found that they were
loth to spoor up a wounded antelope, if the
animal had strength to travel more than two
or three hundred yards after receiving the
bullet

I had an uncomfortable experience that even-
ing, while sitting just within my shelter in front
of the fire. First one nip and then another
prompted me to look down to see what manner
of insect I was sitting on. The ground was
literally swarming with red ants, and so were my
legs, but fortunately, thanks to my putties, they
were outside only. I was not long in making
myself scarce, and spent' the remainder of the
night by a fire which I caused to be made on
fresh ground.

This red ant possesses the knack of finding its

way through ground to any spot on which raw

meat may have been placed. They are known

among hunters and traders as the " red soldier

ant," and by the Marotse as "serula," and are

carnivorous, as the circumstances I mention would

imply, for within a very short time of the first

discovery of a joint of meat its whole surface is

covered with these vicious little insects. A black

soldier ant, also known as *'serula," I have met

with in other parts. In a subsequent chapter I

relate a marvellous instance of the vicious energy

of these insects which came under my notice.

268

A WILDEBEEST BAGGED

On the 1 8th Kaiyngu paid me another early
visit, but this time without the band.

Later I went out in search of game in a
westerly direction, but wandered far without
seeing anything save a small herd of hartebeest,
which, however, I failed to get a shot at Having
been out all day, I was on my way back when a
large herd of wildebeest were seen grazing down
an open vale. After a careful stalk I got an
easy chance at a bull, and made an atrocious
shot at him. Away they all scampered and I
after them. At about 800 yards they stood,
turned, and, contrary to their own interests,
galloped back on their own spoor towards a
small bush, behind which I crouched. Down
they came, passing my bush at full speed at a
distance of 120 yards. A bull brought up the
rear, and I took a shot at him. It was evident
he was hit, as he swerved at once, and describing
a semicircle followed the herd into the bush. He
was found 200 yards beyond, stone-dead at the
base of an ant-heap. A lucky shot had passed
through the heart, and my previous bad miss was
atoned for in the eyes of my savage friends, who
were not long in lighting a fire and getting their
teeth into the old bull's flesh.

Next day I remained in camp all the morning.

A steady downpour of rain had wet everything,

and left me more inclined for rest than hunting.

My bough hut was good enough to keep the

269

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

water off throughout an ordinary downpour of
rain, but twelve hours proved too much for my
temporary roof, and sleep on wet ground and in a
wet blanket has not the same refreshing influence
as it has under more favourable conditions.

In the afternoon I strolled down to the river
with shot-gun and camera. Whilst wandering
about in search of guinea-fowl or other feathered
game, the appearance of a pookoo ram and some
five does suggested the idea of a photograph
at close quarters if possible. The grass was
about two feet long, so I managed to crawl un-
noticed to within thirty-five yards of the little
group. Three times in succession I photo-
graphed them, and congratulated myself on so
successful a stalk. But lo! when my negatives
six months later came to be developed, these
three were among the fogged ones.

Afterwards I shot a brace of guinea-fowl and
returned to camp.

On the 20th I decided to go out in a northerly
direction, with as usual the double object of
shooting and seeing as much of the surrounding
country as possible.

This was one of those occasions, which I sup-
pose occur to most of us, on which nearly every-
thing I did seemed to be the wrong thing.

The "son and heir" Kaiyngu, and a suitable
retinue for so important a personage, accompanied
me on this occasion. We had not gone far when

270

NO SUCCESS

a small boy came running up and told me he had
seen a leopard. According to him the animal
had retreated down the edge of a valley across
which our path led us. After following for about
600 yards I sighted the leopard standing a
hundred yards away broadside on, but looking
away with his head turned in the opposite direc-
tion. Unfortunately a bit of scrubby bush close
to which he stood covered his shoulder, though
as likely as not a spherical bullet would have found
its way through without deflection. As he had
not seen me I thought I could improve the
position by crawling to the far side of a small
clump of bush where I should have been able to
get a clear shot. But by the time I got there
the leopard was gone, and I felt I had done
the wrong thing in not firing on first sight.

Next I wounded a pookoo ram in the shoulder,
but with a bad shot, as my bullet struck too high.
His blood spoor was followed for some distance
but without result; he still went strong, so the
chase was given up.

Some time afterwards a Lichenstein's hartebeest
with a severe lung wound gave me a long hunt
After viewing him several times but never getting
near enough to administer a coup de grdce^ chance
brought me at last to within ten yards of the
game, as the wounded animal lay on the ground
behind a bush. I was just on the point of firing
when the heir apparent rushed forward and

271

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

hurled an assegai at a distance of about five
paces, but missed by as many feet. The antelope
was on his feet in a moment and made another
bid for life. In spite of my bellowing at him
at the top of my voice to come back, Master
Kaiyngu once more placed himself between the
muzzle of the rifle and my quarry, again hurled
an assegai at close quarters, but missed as hope-
lessly as before. A volume of English adjectives
followed, Kaiyngu looked bewildered, and my
fluency came as a relief after the months during
which my voice had been accustomed to the
murdering of native languages only. All this
meant another chase, and would have developed
into a third had the hartebeest not taken us to
the bank of the river.

Here Kaiyngu once more played the same
game with similar result, but this time the poor
beast took to water, and died about fifty yards
from the bank. The body was recovered a few
hundred yards down stream, cut up, and carried
in.

It was dark when camp was reached that
evening, and the meat did not arrive till some
two hours later, when a shoulder was sent as
a present to Kaiyngu. First thing in the morn-
ing the meat was returned to me with the curt
message :

'*The chief does not want this, he wants a
hind leg."

272

THE SECRET OF AFRICAN TRAVEL

I told one of my boys to take the shoulder
and cut it into strips for drying.

Now, I have always been convinced that more
is to be gained than lost by not only taking up a
position of independence in dealing with native
chiefs, but by individual action conveying to them
the idea that the white man not only thinks
himself but actually is superior to each and all
of them ; and this is more essential in the case of
the unprotected traveller with three boys than
where an armed rabble of niggers, for what is
meant to be defensive purpose, can be employed
to menace or coerce. In my own mind I feel
sure the keynote of successful travel among the
more remote and least known peoples of the
African continent is the note that was struck
by Livingstone and Joseph Thompson, whose
force of character, determination, and consistency
opened paths which would have been closed to a
show of force, and, what is still more important,
left behind them a confidence and respect which
have helped and not deterred those who followed
them.

To be dignified but not overbearing, to be

courteous without being either cold or familiar, —

for the one breeds apathy, the other contempt,

— and to be fair and just, suggest a line of conduct

which contributes towards the grand secret for

travelling far and with the minimum of trouble.

In my humble and imperfect way I have tried to
T 273

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

practise what I preach, and consistency was more
than ever necessary in my present isolated posi-
tion. Kaiyngu and his people had been living on
wild roots for months before my arrival. For
four consecutive days I had sent him sometimes
a quarter of an antelope, sometimes more, and he
was even now beginning to presume on my good
offices. I had no wish to quarrel with the old
man, but knew perfectly well that the gift of
an inch would be followed up next time by the
demand for a yard, and then heaven only knows
what the sequel would be had he once realised
that I was not altogether independent of him.

So I sent the messenger back to tell his master
that since he did not want the meat I would keep
it for my own boys, and that as I wanted the
hind-quarters he would have to do without any
at all.

Towards evening Letangu wished to visit the
village, so I instructed him to tell Kaiyngu
incidentally that the white man thought he had
not behaved like a chief in returning the present,
but as a man of small importance.

His majesty did not come near me that day — a
most unusual occurrence.

On the 22nd I went out hunting in a south-
westerly direction, and after refusing to fire at
some zebra, much to the disgust of my Mashi-
kolumbwe followers, tramped a long way without
seeing anything, until when within a couple of

274

KAIYNGU'S EXPLANATION

miles from camp a herd of pallah attracted my
attentioa. I shot a couple of rams, one of which
carried an exceptionally fine pair of horns.

Not very long after returning, Kaiyngu, who
no doubt thought that if he did not come and put
things right with me he would have to do without
meat this night also, marched up, wished me
'' lunula^ and squatted down by the fire.

" It was not a good thing for you to do,
Kaiyngu, to send back a present as you did
the meat I gave yoa"

He told me he did not wish to offend, but he
preferred the hind-quarters.

'* So did I," was the answer, and then went on,
" If I give you half a pallah will you send it back
with a message you want a whole one ? "

No, he would not.

Next he told me that he had received word
that Macumba could not find my camp on the
Musa river, and that some of his boys had
returned.

This was not good news, the more especially
as my small supply of provisions was all but
finished. It was therefore arranged that Muliphi
should act as guide to another batch of boys
whom he consented to lend me, so I sent them
off that evening, giving Muliphi instructions that
he must return in five days. Thus I found
myself left alone with the boy Letangu only.
Next morning I went out after hippo in a canoe.

275

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

The river below Kaiyngu is very picturesque,
studded with islands and broken by rapids.

When paddling near these rapids an inquisitive
hippo watched the movements of the canoe so
fearlessly that I was able to land on a large rock
only about fifty yards from him and to fire before
he showed any inclination to retreat below water.
The bullet unfortunately struck high and merely
ricochetted off the animal s forehead, judging from
the sound it made, before it subsequently struck
the water some distance beyond. After paddling
three or four miles down stream I landed and
walked across the flats that bordered on the river.
There I viewed a herd of some seven warthogs,
the upper part of their bodies only showing
above the grass. From an ant-heap about lOo
yards from them they offered an easy shot at one.
The herd scampered across my front, but pulled
up before going more than fifty yards. A fine
old boar with large tusks stood with his shoulder
exposed. The bullet struck home and sent back a
telling ''thut," and away they all went, the big
boar tearing and crashing through the bush in
a direction of his own.

On reaching the spot where the herd had

been, I was surprised to find a sow lying

apparently dead, for I had thought the first shot

had missed its mark. The boar had torn away,

leaving much blood spoor behind him, and

200 yards on he was found stone-dead with

276

A FINE WARTHOG

a heart wound. He was a big brute, and
measured 79! inches from snout to tip of tail,
and 33 inches at shoulder. The spoil was cut
up and carried to the canoe, which was reached
shortly after sunset. Fortunately it was a moon-
light night, as camp was not reached till about
nine o'clock.

During the small hours of morning a lion was
to be heard roaming about in the district I
had been hunting, so thinking it probable that
he might have struck the spoor of a pookoo
I wounded but failed to bag on the previous
afternoon, I walked down the river until the
place to which the animal had been spoored
was reached. But unfortunately, with Letangu
as my only boy, I was bound to leave him
in camp, as there had already been two or three
cases of theft, and what little I had with me I
had no wish to lose. In consequence I was
dependent on Mashikolumbwe for spooring, and
they were one and all useless in working out a
spoor that was not as plain as a pikestaff. So
after wasting some time in a fruidess attempt an
adjournment was made in favour of fresh game.

Not long afterwards I came across a herd of
seven pookoos — ^all rams. One carried a very
long pair of horns ; so long were they that when
I first saw them three or four hundred yards
away I was by no means certain that their
owner was not a lechwe.

277

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

By crawling through the grass I was all but
near enough to fire when some women who
were wandering about in search of edible roots
put them to flight Again I followed, and came
once more in sight after going half a mile or so.

By the time I had crawled to within 1 20 yards

they became suspicious that something was

wrong, and looked restlessly about in all

directions. I saw that if time were wasted

the work would have to be done over again ;

so, as the owner of the coveted horns stood with

his shoulder exposed, I raised myself gradually

above the grass, aimed, and fired. The six

were off in a trice, but my beauty remained

standing where he was. This puzzled me, as

game invariably either falls or rushes forward

when wounded, and I began to suspect that

curiosity was delaying him from joining his

fellows ; so crawling through the grass to a

more certain distance I rolled him over with

another shot. It was then seen that the first

bullet had passed through both forelegs, and I

conclude must have severed the nerve. The

horns, as I had thought, were exceptional, and

measured i8| inches, which is a good three

inches above the average. The animal himself,

too, was quite the largest I have seen, though

not standing as high as some. From the upper

lip to the root of the tail he measured 72 inches,

and stood 36^ inches at the shoulder.

278

KAIYNGU'S PERVERSITY

I had now wandered about in all directions
to the west of the river, and was anxious to
cross to the left bank and travel inland for three
or four days, being particularly anxious to reach
a hill which rose above its surroundings, from
which to take compass bearings on various
points.

I intimated to Kaiyngu my wishes, and he
told me he would send boys early next morn-
ing who should accompany me.

About a couple of hours after a start ought
to have been made, Kaiyngu's eldest made his
appearance at the head of six of his warriors
all armed to the teeth. I proceeded to roll up
my blanket, which, in addition to a little musty
tea which had been wet in crossing the Nanzela
river, and a bottle of saccharine, was the sum
total of my available worldly comforts ; but when
everything was ready. Master Kaiyngu calmly
informed me that there were no boys to ac-
company me.

" What is the meaning of this ? " I asked.
"Why have you come.*^"

** We will cross the river, but we will not sleep
on the other side," was the answer.

I suspected that the scheming old scoundrel

Kaiyngu was at the bottom of all this. If he

allowed me to go away for three or four days,

he would miss his daily meat. However, I made

up my mind that he at least should not score,

279

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

SO ordering Letangu to unroll the blanket I
seated myself in front of my hut, and told
Kaiyngu that he might go home, as if I crossed
the river I had no intention of returning for a
few days, and added : " Unless boys are sent
to go with me I shall rest for three days, and
then go on to Muyanga " (a chief about twenty
miles to the north). No more meat for Kai-
yngu*s people. I will not shoot here any more,
Muyanga shall be made fat instead."

They then began to hedge, and were willing to
this and that and the other, but I told them I
would have nothing more to do with them. I had
done much for them and they would do nothing
for me in return, so I would leave them. One
by one they left, and I made up my mind thatt
as soon as Muliphi and Macumba arrived with
provisions, I would go north with or without
Kaiyngu's assistance.

An hour or so afterwards, Shantivi, a boy who
had been in daily attendance on me, a dirty,
naked, but willing savage, whose presence was
forcibly, if unpleasantly, indicated through another
sense than that of sight, arrived on the scene to
tell me that he and some other boys would
cross the river and stay for a few days. Affecting
at first to be unwilling to go since his people had
shown me they did not wish for meat, and pro-
testing I meant to rest and not kill any more

game, I finally told him that if he brought boys

280

MASHIKOLUMBWE CANOES

at once, I would cross the river and kill some
game for them.

Shantivi soon returned with four more of his
kind, so at about one o'clock a start was made.
Just before leaving, Macumba turned up with two
native baskets containing meal but no groceries.
I made some bread before leaving, and was not
sorry to have change from meat other than the
wild roots I had been reduced to for the last few
days. Pony and Lecharu, he told me, were better,
but I could not get out of him the reason why he
had parted from Kaiyngu's boys or they from
him. It was not till four p.m. that everything
was landed on the east bank, as it was found that
a canoe had to be brought from some distance up
the river, and, of course, everything was done at
the slowest possible rate.

The Mashikolumbwe ** dug-out" canoes differ
from those used by the Marotse and Upper
Zambezi tribes. They are both shorter and
deeper. They are propelled, too, in a different
way and with a different shaped paddle. The
Zambezi boys, with a long paddle nearly resem-
bling the sea-oar, with a blade about two feet
long by six inches broad, stand up to their work
with one leg advanced, and use the back as well
as the arm. The Mashikolumbwe squats or
kneels, and in this position leisurely plies a short
paddle with broad, almost oval-shaped blade,

about two feet long by ten inches wide.

281

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

On leaving the river the boys, as a matter of
course, wanted me to go quite a different way to
that I had decided to take, though they had to
conform to my wish and travel east Towards
evening a couple of Lichenstein's hartebeests
gave me a shot at about 150 yards. The bullet
struck low, breaking the left fore-arm just below
the shoulder joint. Even the Mashikolumbwe
found no difficulty in tracking the wounded
antelope, there was so much blood spoor. Half a
mile on a piece of bone three inches long was
picked up, but although the poor brute occasion-
ally showed himself some distance ahead he
never allowed me to get near enough to give him
a second shot, and want of daylight finally put
an end to a long and futile chase.

Next morning, after steadily travelling up hill
till midday in a north-easterly direction, a large
clearing was reached, on which were a number of
small stockaded villages, similar to what has
already been described at Edzumbe. This town
is known by the name of the chief who rules it —
Kowetu.

A headman met me outside one of these stock-
ades and invited me inside. A stool was brought,
and I was soon the centre of interest to a group
of natives, who squatted down in front while
their women sat in a row behind. A wooden
bowl containing cooked food was offered me, but
it looked very nasty and by no means tempting,

282

AT KOWETU

SO I thanked mine host and handed it to my boys,
who seemed to appreciate it A dish of boiled
vegetable marrow was next brought This
looked clean and good, and I was glad to be
able to partake, and enjoyed it too.

A shower of rain drove me to take shelter in
the headman's hut He showed me his battery,
of which he was very proud. It consisted of
four great Portuguese smooth-bores, one of which
was evidently looked upon by its owner as some-
thing very recherchi. Its enhanced value was
derived from its ornamentation by a number of
brass studs that had been driven in pattern into
the butt.

He told me he bought them from the "Mam-
bari " — black '* Portuguese " — who occasionally
visited the country to trade for ivory and slaves ;
that unfortunately his powder was finished, and he
would willingly give me some salt if I would give
him powder! As an amendment I suggested
either ivory or leopard skins. The former was
not, but the latter he thought might be arranged
when Kowetu put in an appearance, which he
probably would do ere long.

In answer to enquiries about game, he told me
that there was a herd of eland in the neighbour-
hood.

"If then you give me boys to show me the

mpofo in the early morning, I will sleep here

to-night and make you fat to-morrow."

283

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

Unlike all the other tribes acknowledging the
supremacy of Liwanika, who take their tobacco
in the form of snuff only, the Mashikolumbwe
and Mankoya are great lovers of the pipe.
Their pipes are usually clay bowls with a long
reed attached, but occasionally a more fanciful
one is used. In this case one end of a reed is
inserted into a hole through the bottom of a clay
bowl, while the other is similarly attached to the
lower extremity of an elongated, sausage -like
calabash, at an angle of forty -five degrees.
Through a hole at the top of this the smoke is
drawn. The tobacco these people use is atrocious,
in fact they will smoke anything rather than
nothing, one makeshift I frequently observed
being especially ingenious. The reed having
been withdrawn from the bowl, some two inches
of the lower end is cut off and converted into
shavings. These being of course permeated with
nicotine, are then rubbed up with a little dry
grass, with which the pipe is loaded, smoked,
and apparently enjoyed!

On rising to depart the boys asked to stay a
little while longer, and pointed to a pipe, which
meant that they wished to fill and light it, and then
suck it in turn till all had sucked. Their request
was granted, the ceremony performed, and search
was made for a shady spot near water, but not
too near the village. The people were very

hospitably inclined, and brought me presents of

284

MAGNIFICENT SCENERY

marrows, pumpkins, and native cucumbers, prob-
ably in anticipation of meat on the morrow.

A bivouac was constructed on the edge of a
fertile valley, down the centre of which a small
stream of good clear water flowed. I then " fell
in " three boys, and set off in a northerly direction
to look for game, and the hill which had been
seen from the western side of the river.

The only game I saw was a single duiker,
which was bagged ; and I failed to find the hill I
was in quest of.

Still a most interesting afternoon was spent
Since leaving the river the day before, I had
gradually ascended to a high country, well over
4000 feet above the sea -level and pleasing to
the eye.

Travelling north that afternoon I descended
a steep slope studded with huge rocks and
kopjies, and which could be seen leading quickly
down to a plain, extending to the banks of the
Kafukwe. As every pace down meant a step
later on up hill, I made a detour in a north-
easterly and then easterly direction. This led
me into a fine broken country. Deep rocky
kloofs separated hills which rose abruptly on
either side for two or three hundred feet After
wandering and winding through these hills for
an hour or thereabouts, the sound of falling
water guided me to a rivulet which rushed

and gurgled down a steep and stony bed in a

285

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

northerly direction. While tracing up its course
I was much impressed by the grandeur and
beauty of the scenery. In general the southern
section, at least, of the great African plateau is
sombre, monotonous, and by no means picturesque,
but here was one of those occasional exceptions
to the rule, which would compare favourably with
much of the " show ** scenery of the civilised
world.

The sun had been down for an hour by the
time camp was reached. I had regaled myself
on duiker meat and vegetable marrow, and was
enjoying my after-dinner pipe, when four natives,
among whom I recognised my friend the head-
man, approached the fire.

"This is Kowetu," he said, as he motioned
towards a middle-sized, bearded savage, with a
mild countenance, and an old terra-cotta sombrero
which had no doubt once decorated the head of
one of the Chartered Co.'s police, and which was
very much too small for its present owner.

I told him I was pleased to see him, made him
a sign to be seated by the fire, and spent about
an hour struggling with his language.

He left after I had got a certain amount of

information out of him, and arranged to give

him powder for two leopard skins if he would

send a boy back with me to Kaiyngu, where the

powder was.

Early the next day — the 27th — a move was

286

SULKY BOYS

made in search of game. Four miles from camp
eland spoor was crossed, and as it was quite
fresh I sat down under a tree, sending a couple
of boys off to ascertain the whereabouts of the
herd. In half an hour they returned with the
news that they had found them. I was disgusted
to find zebra instead, and knowing eland were
somewhere close I left the zebra alone, much
to the disgust of the boys, whom I told that I
had come to shoot an eland, and they must
follow up the spoor with me. They sulked and
refused to take the eland spoor, so I returned
to camp, rested for a short time, and then com-
menced my return journey. Nothing unusual
occurred on the way back. No game was seen,
and the boys got no meat

287

CHAPTER XVI.

I FULLY expected on return to find Mu-
liphi there with all the goods and chattels,
but such was not the case. The next morning
Kaiyngu came to see me, and explained that
Muliphi had failed to find the Musa camp.

Now the boy Muliphi had been born and bred
in the Kalahari Desert, and his life had been
spent among game. I was convinced that some-
thing must be wrong, as he should have been
back three days before, and it was impossible
for him to have gone wrong in a journey of
only forty miles, with a river like the Musa
cutting his path almost at right angles, unless
he had been interfered with.

A boy who accompanied Kaiyngu explained
that he went part way with Muliphi, who did
not leave the afternoon I despatched him, but
slept in the village. He mentioned places where
they had slept on the three following nights,
which showed that the travelling had been ten,
six, and ten miles respectively for these three
days.

Although Muliphi was the best boy I had,

288

MULIPHI STILL MISSING

and also my favourite, for he was a cheery
little fellow, he was, nevertheless, like most of
his kind, given very much to scheming, if by
doing so he could shirk his work. In fact, he
was always complaining of a pain here and a
pain there, and distributing over his copper-
coloured face a most doleful expression if there
was any hard work to be done ; but the moment
anything was killed, especially if the animal
carried fat, his sufferings would cease, and his
expression change, for I never allowed sick boys
to eat meat if any root or farinaceous food was
procurable.

The tale this Mashikolumbwe brought was
so plausible and so probable that I swallowed
it, and was much displeased with Muliphi's
conduct, for so far as he knew I had not a
particle of food, for Macumba had not arrived
with the meal when he left.

Later I went out after pookoo, taking with me
the Mashikolumbwe who had accompanied me
across the river, for I wished to give them a
good lump of meat each as they had behaved
quite respectably — considering that they were
Mashikolumbwe — during the three days they had
been with me.

Unfortunately my shooting was bad that after-
noon— it was one of those occasions on which
one can only wound. Two pookoos were hit,
and one at all events ought to have been brought
u 289

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

to bag, but the Mashikolumbwe are the poorest
hunters I have ever been among. Either the
animal hit must drop in his tracks or leave behind
him such a blood spoor as a blind pedlar could
hardly fail to see, or you will never come up with
your quarry when it depends on the exertions of
this most depraved people.

I was beginning to realise the fact that the
apparent impossibility of getting my goods from
the Musa camp was attributable to the old rascal
Kaiyngru. He knew perfectly well that when
once my things arrived I would move north to
Muyanga. This was altogether contrary to his
interests, for the white man would then be no
longer available as purveyor of meat to his
Majesty.

When his boys turned up the next morning
to take me out hunting they went back with the
message that the white man was not going to kill
any more game until his boys and loads had
arrived. "How will this act ? " I wondered. I
had sent Kaiyngu no meat since the day before
starting for my short trip to the east, six days
before, and I thought the old gentleman must be
getting an averagely keen meat appetite on him
once more. This would grow, and when he
found that his guest meant what he said he
might find it to his advantage to accede to his
request in a more practical manner than by word
of mouth only. I had been feverish for the last

290

DECIDE TO RETURN TO MUSA CAMP

few days, so that the rest incumbent on my
resolve was not uncongenial.

On the 30th it transpired that my suspicions
were not ill-founded. The boys supposed to
have been sent with Muliphi had been in the
village, I found, for some days.

I at once made up my mind to leave that
very day. My two boys could not carry all the
things, for in addition to ammunition, blankets,
meal, etc., I had accumulated a few ethnological
curios and several trophies, among which was a
pair of warthog tusks, pookoo and eland horns of
exceptional quality. These I had no wish to
leave behind, so a message was sent to Kaiyngu
that as he refused to bring my camp to me I
was going to it that day, and requesting him to
lend me two boys to help carry my things.
One boy told me he wished to go to Kazungula
with me, but could not do so without his chief's
consent

Kaiyngu answered my message in person.
The loads were made up and a second boy had
agreed to accompany me.

I told the scheming old scoundrel that I was

leaving at once, but on giving the order Letangu

and Macumba took up their loads while the two

Mashikolumbwe remained seated. When asked

"why?" they looked towards their chief, who

blandly answered for them :

" They cannot go to-day, for there is no meat

291

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

for the road. If you hunt to-day they shall go
with you to-morrow."

Of course his anxiety was for his own stomach,
so he did not quite see that my reply was
satisfactory — "There is plenty of meat on the
road," but calmly suggested that I might go if
I wished and he would send his boys after me
on the morrow!

This was too amusing.

" You have behaved badly to me, Kaiyngu, and
now you want me to shoot game that you may
eat it I have given you and your people much
meat and many presents, and how have you
treated me in return ? Is this how a chief should
act ? "

" The boys cannot go to-day, they will go to-
morrow," and he pointed straight over his head,
indicating that the start would be made when the
sun was at its meridian.

"Liwanika is your chief. I am Liwanika's
friend. He told me at Lialui that you would
help me if I asked you. If you still prevent
these boys coming with me to-day I will write
a letter to Liwanika telling him how you have
behaved to me, and you will have to send that
letter, or else when the Morena hears that you
have not done so, look out for your cattle."

As he once more refused, and at the same time

suggested that I should g^ve him some powder, I

answered him :

292

I FIND MULIPHI

" I will give you nothing except a letter to
send to Liwanika,"

I went into my hut and commenced to write it.

Half a dozen lines were scarcely written when
Letangu told me that three boys were ready to
start at once.

The two boys who had volunteered to come
were not among them. It was an uncanny-
looking trio, especially so far as one of them
— Kaiyngus son-in-law — was concerned. He,
I imagine, was a Mankoya, and a very dirty,
odiferous one, too. His wool was highly greased
into long streaks, and his expression would have
done justice to Mephistopheles himself.

With this disreputable escort I coldly bade
Kaiyngu farewell, to which he replied :

" You may leave my country," and departed.

I travelled seventeen miles that day, and one
incident worth narrating alone occurred.

The path I took led me through one of the
numerous small villages of Edzumbe.

On approach I heard the subdued notes of a
small native-made " piano.'*

Looking in front, who should the minstrel prove

to be but Muliphi, who was squatting underneath

a small shelter outside the stockade. His scared

look on catching sight of me conveyed the idea

at the time that he was simply taking advantage

of being out of my sight and having a lazy

time of it, instead of returning to me at once,

293

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

as he should have done, nor did I realise
for some days afterwards that he was probably
compulsorily retained by the Edzumbe chief, and
very likely at the instigation of his neighbour
Kaiyngu«

On his failing to give a satisfactory reply, I
spoke to him severely, and ordered him to take
his share of the loads and follow.

He then said he had been there three days,
and that last night the Mashikolumbwe had
stolen his blanket and assegai. I did not think it
wise to delay for the sake of the boy*s assegai
and blanket, more especially so as voice-signals
had been going on all round me for the last
three miles, commencing shortly after passing
some surly-looking natives on the path. Putting
a further seven miles between Edzumbe and
myself, the last two of which were done after
sundown and not on the beaten path, a camp
was selected behind a huge tree-covered ant-heap.
Although I did not suspect that night that we
were being followed, subsequent events showed
that such was the case. The Mashikolumbwe,
unlike most Africans, attack at night, and I am
not so sure that in the first place my leaving the
native path in order to return by another route,
and in the second being compelled to travel
after dark for want of water, were not fortunate
accidents.

The next morning an early start was made,

294

MULIPHI DISAPPEARS

but the long grass necessarily made travelling
slow. It took the whole morning to make 6^
miles.

I shot a hartebeest en route, and camped at the
first water afterwards to allow the boys to have
a good meal.

At two o'clock the journey was recommenced.
Progress was slow, to keep the boys together
as much as possible — for unless the caravan has
a rear as well as a vanguard this is no easy task,
inasmuch as there are generally one or two
boys who by special exertion will manage to
lag behind even if the travelling rate is only
two miles an hour. Such a boy was Muliphi.
In consequence I was neither surprised nor
suspicious of treachery when late in the after-
noon a **coo-oo-ee " reached my ears from about
half a mile in the rear. Concluding he had gone
off the path and was uncertain of the route, I
answered him, and went slowly on.

Reaching water two or three miles further on,
camp was made for the night, but in spite of
a shot or two and vocal volleys from the boys
Muliphi did not turn up that night The Musa
camp could not be more than ten miles away
however, so I quite expected he would arrive
there as soon as, or sooner, than myself.

On the following day, being the ist of Febru-
ary, the three Mashikolumbwe boys, either inten-
tionally or otherwise, made a fool of me. We

295

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

Struck the Musa river, but neither myself nor
boys were at all certain whether the camp stood
up or down stream, as the previous journey had
been along the south bank, whereas we were
then on the north. The Mashikolumbwe, how-
ever, were certain that the way lay up stream,
so up stream we went for some seven miles.
I then came to the conclusion that the wrong
direction had been taken, Letangu and Macumba
agreeing with me, but the Mashikolumbwe
objected to going any further one way or the
other, and put down their loads. They ignored
my order to follow at first, but the simple move-
ment of bringing my rifle from the ^' slope" to
the '* port " brought all three on to their legs, and
evinced from the son-in-law of Kaiyngu the
expression — quite affably uttered — of a wish to
follow me.

Still my eyes had to keep watch fore and aft,
as Kaiyngu s beauties did their best to let me
get well in front, and then once out of sight
it was pretty certain neither they nor their loads
would be seen again.

Whilst sound asleep in the early hours of the
2nd my mind was called back to things real
— very real! — by the words ''Mashikolumbwe
tsamai'ili^' whispered by Letangu in my ears.

I was up in a moment, to find that these
gentlemen were apparently on their way home,
and had taken all they could lay hands on,

296

KAIYNGU'S BEAUTIES ABSCOND

even down to the small effects of Letangu and
Macumba.

It sometimes seems almost incomprehensible
that so treacherous a people should never have
attempted to possess themselves of my rifles,
ammunition, and other effects, by the very
simple process of driving an assegai into myself
and boys whilst sleeping, especially since — as
previously mentioned — a strange native has a
very poor chance if caught within their boun-
daries. I suppose that same feeling of awe
which causes the beast to give man a wide berth
is shared by even such ill-disposed savages as
these Mashikolumbwe natives in respect to a
race so superior to their own. Like the beasts
they don't know their power or are afraid to use
it, and in addition I imagine that even if they
could succeed with impunity in taking a white
man's life, their superstition impels them to
suspect that his spirit may play havoc when
released and bewitch them and their people
wholesale. Letangu and Macumba had to carry
heavy loads that day, but not for a great distance
for camp was reached in good time.

The two boys. Pony and Lecharu, were look-
ing very much the better for their rest, and,
as I subsequently discovered, had been doing
themselves well on my meal and other provisions.
They had consumed twenty-five pounds of meal
and a tin of dried apple -rings. This was the

297

EXPLORATION Al^D HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

second occasion on which master Pony had
mistaken my provisions for his own, so I im-
pressed upon him that next time I would kick
him out of camp, so that if he was particularly
anxious to go home under his own protection
he had better help himself to a little more
of my meal. It is only in keeping with the
character of the African that Lecharu should
have robbed me, for had I not saved his life
twice! This latter boy, with whom I had left
a Mannlicher and a few rounds of ammunition,
had killed a pallah and a leopard : the skin of
the latter was rich in colour and large ; when
pegged out it measured 7 ft. 11 in.

I was almost surprised to find the camp un-
looted. No natives had visited it until when two
days previously three Mankoyas had put in an
appearance and undertaken to return with others
the day after I happened to arrive, and take my
things as far as the Nkala mission station.

Muliphi had not been heard of, and for the
first time I realised that the purport of his
"coo-ee" had been misunderstood by me. At
the time we were many miles past Edzumbe,
and there was no native village between that
place and the Musa camp. The Mashikolumbwe
must have followed at a distance and waited for
such an opportunity as Muliphi s lagging behind
had offered. He had been robbed and almost

to a certainty killed. With him was a little

298

MULIPHI'S FATE STILL A MYSTERY

powder and ammunition, the large eland horns
and the warthog tusks. Up to that very after-
noon he had also carried my shot-gun barrels,
which I should have been very sorry to lose
as they are old friends. As a matter of luck
these had been transferred to Letang^, the
horns of the hartebeest shot that morning having
been given to the ill-fated Muliphi in their place,
I still hoped against hope he might put in an ap-
pearance either at camp or possibly at the N kala
mission station; but such was not to be. No
trace could ever be found of the missing boy,
and subsequent enquiries through native sources
were equally fruitless.

It is needless to say such luxuries as rice,
stewed apples, and oatmeal porridge, to say
nothing of sugar and condensed milk, were
thoroughly appreciated after the unvaried menu
of meat and roots both morning and evening
since running short of supplies a fortnight
earlier.

On the 4th, since the Mankoyas were already
two days over the time they fixed for their return,
I determined to move my camp towards Nkala
by short stages. The four boys would be able
to carry everything in three journeys backwards
and forwards. During the two days since arrival
I had been unable to shoot anything, for game
was very scarce, consequently there was no meat
in camp.

299

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

Fortunately a large herd of wildebeest was
encountered after the first lot of loads had been
carried six miles. I shot one, but very nearly
lost him. The animal lay apparently dead quite
five minutes after being rolled over. The boys
had come up, and I was selecting a site for the
tent when a noise of movement caused me to
look round. The wildebeest was in the act of
cantering away, and had I not been lucky enough
to roll him over with a second bullet the larder
must have remained empty. The boys were
then sent back to bring on the next lot of loads.
Failing to strike water — for I was making a **bee
line" for Nkala — six miles had been travelled
instead of four. The last loads it was probable
would therefore have to remain near the Musa
until morning, and it would be fortunate I thought
if the next relay arrived in four hours. It can
be imagined that I was agreeably surprised when
less than an hour had elapsed to see a dozen boys
or so, each carrying a load, approach. The
Mankoyas had turned up just in time, and the
difficulties of the past month were at an end!

These boys were quite a godsend, their
"captain" being an excellent fellow, who with
three of the others travelled with me as far as
Kazungula. Fever had been hanging about
me for the last few days, and that night came
to a climax. My temperature was very high
during the night, but a couple of doses of

300

TROUBLE AT THE MISSION STATION

Warburgs tincture, without which medicine
no one should travel in Africa, brought me down
to 99**, and I was able to do a good march that
day. Shortly after midday on the 6th the Nkala
station was reached. There sickness and bereave-
ment had cast a gloom on the mission.

The headman of the village hard by had met
me half a mile from the station, and shaking
his head dolefully informed me that ** Missy,"
as the natives called Mr. Buckenham's little
daughter, was dead. He also told me that a lion
had been killing women and cattle, and that all
the people were afraid.

Both these statements were unhappily corro-
borated when I reached the house. Little Elsie
Buckenham had died three days earlier, within
ten days of her sixth birthday. Mrs. Bucken-
ham was broken-hearted as might be expected,
and her husband, shattered by his long attack of
fever and saddened by his loss, gave me the
impression of even then having one foot in the
grave.

Mr. Baldwin gave me the history of the
depredating lion. He had first made his appear-
ance on Jan. 28th, nine days before, and had
undoubtedly done himself uncommonly well
during his sojourn in the neighbourhood. The
manner in which he varied his menu proved him
to be quite an epicure, and the method by which

he supplied it showed that he was an animal of

301

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

remarkable sagacity and daring. In one case he
actually removed a reed constructed door from a
native's hut, walked in, seized a woman, and
carried her off to his lair in some dense thorn-bush
a short way from the mission station. On a
previous occasion another woman was taken by
him when only a few yards from the stockade.
For the rest he had paid special attention to the
station cattle kraal, which stood within a few
yards of the stockade surrounding the mission
compound.

In his first attack he was highly successful.
After wandering round the kraal to thoroughly
work on the fears of the animals inside, a sudden
feint at a charge accompanied with a sharp growl
would cause the cattle and donkeys to rush in a
body to the far side of the kraal. The com-
bined weight of the excited animals having
forced an opening through the stockade, the
terrified beasts dashed through and made away
into the darkness of the night. Of course, all
that was left ior felis leo to do now was to take
his pick and eat it. So persistent was this
animal in his resolve to have a meal at the
missionaries' expense, that either on this, or one
of his subsequent attacks, Mr. Baldwin narrated
how he had fired a number of shots through the
compound stockade in the direction of the
marauder, but all to no purpose, for the flash

and report of the rifle and the sound of the

302

AN AUDACIOUS LION

ricochet bullets caused but a momentary cessation
of hostilities, but no retreat.* He also wounded
a ram so severely that it died

Nothing had been heard of the " schellem," as
my boys dubbed him, for three nights, so it was
quite to be expected that he would call shortly.
This was an opportunity too good to be missed.
The animal evidently did not suffer from nerves,
and would probably give me a shot, so I decided
to remain at the mission station for a few days
and see if the brute could not be brought to bag.
The next day I walked to one of two hills which
stood about a mile to the north of the station,
though on account of the impenetrable nature
of the intervening bush, a three instead of a
one mile walk was necessary. From the sum-
mit an excellent view was obtained, and I took
fourteen compass observations on to surrounding
hills.

An intelligent boy, whom Mr. Baldwin kindly
brought for the purpose, told the name of each
hill, and gave me much information which I was
glad to get. I was given to understand that
there were hot-water springs near the Kafukwe,
about ten miles in a north-easterly direction, and
that the water was sufficiently hot to be used for

* This is a description, with dates, of this lion's bag since his
arrival — Jan. 28th, woman ; 29th, ox ; 30th, (daytime) sheep, lamb
and goat; (night) woman from inside hut Feb. ist, donkey;
5th, donkey ; 9th, ox (finale).

303

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

cooking purposes by the natives of a Mashi-
kolumbwe village — by name Musanana — which
stood about a mile away. The women would
submerge baskets containing marrows or pump-
kins, and leave them in this natural cauldron
until sufficiently cooked.

Mr. Baldwin kindly agreed to accompany me
thither on the 8th.

We started at sunrise on that day and arrived
at 9.20 without a halt. After breakfast we went
to examine the springs, which according to my
thermometer had a temperature of 182° Fahr.

Quite a large mound had been built up of the
deposit, which proved to be calcareous. The
water was tasteless and bubbled up into several
small basin-like pools overflowing in as many
streamlets, which amalgamated in one clear
stream to be carried away towards the river.

Mr. Baldwin wished to take the opportunity of
visiting Musanana and his people. We walked
along the edge of the open swampy plain through
which the Kafukwe flows from a short distance
above this point for the greater part of its course
towards the Zambezi. On approaching the
village a shady tree was selected as a resting-
place, and a message was sent to the chief
Musanana to apprise him of our visit.

In a short time he arrived — a stark -naked
savage, with the usual Mashikolumbwe head-
dress.

304

SLAVE OFFERED FOR SALE

Two or three of the cattle which the lion
had scared from the mission station had been
taken charge of by Musanana, who refused to
return them until he had received a present
Mr. Baldwin pointed out that he had not
behaved in a very friendly manner by detaining
his cattle, and ultimately it was arranged that
the chief should send them to Nkala and should
receive a present of an empty jam-tin. These
empty tins are naturally very much valued in
such parts of Africa as this, where they are not
only a novelty but can be made useful as drinking
cups. Musanana also tried to do a deal with me,
and offered a slave if I would give him calico. I
merely told him I was not only a white man but
an Englishman, and that Englishmen did not buy
and sell people like cattle. At about midday we
set off for a hill about four miles away, also named
Musanana, after the naked savage who presides
over the district.

Here I had hoped to get several counter com-
pass bearings to check and render more valuable
observations I had made from Bacubi Hill and
other points, but unfortunately the bush was so
dense on this hill that I only succeeded in
taking three bearings altogether.

During the return journey an excellent oppor-
tunity for supplying the larder occurred, but was
not successfully taken advantage of.

A mixed herd of zebra and h.irtebeest had
X 305

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

allowed me to get within eighty yards of them.
Firing at a bull among the latter but missing
the mark, apparently created so much surprise
that they did not attempt to retreat and an
equally easy second chance would, it is to be
hoped, have met with a more satisfactory
result. The excited Mankoya, however, who
crouched behind me and evidently imagined that
a white man had only to fire a rifle to at least
wound his game, rushed forward with his assegai
to finish the animal he expected to see kicking on
the ground. The game fled, and I addressed
myself emphatically to the boy whose blunder
had lost me a second shot, although it must be
confessed that of the two the master deserved
stronger language than the servant. Following
the hartebeest up for a few hundred yards — the
zebra had separated from them — I saw, from a
tree I had climbed, a single hartebeest standing
on a small mound a quarter of a mile away.
Crawling to about a hundred yards from him I
put a bullet in his shoulder, on which he fell head
over heels and for a moment seemed to be dead.
However, before the boy had reached the spot
where he lay he was on his legs and off", nor after
spending some time trying to work out his spoor
did I ever see him again, so rejoining Mr.
Baldwin we continued our return journey.

The sun was already low in the heavens, and
about eight miles remained to be done, when

306

HARTEBEEST COW BAGGED

another hartebeest (a cow) ran across our front
A better shot dropped her in her tracks, and
made it a certainty that we would not reach the
station till some time after dark.

The hartebeest cow had a good pair of horns,
and was remarkable by virtue of a well-defined
V-shaped white blaze between the eyes similar to
that on the koodoo.

As soon as the meat was cut up a fresh start
was made. A dark night, and for some part of
the way no footpath, made travelling slow and
troublesome, so we did not arrive at our destina-
tion till nearly nine o'clock. Dinner and pipe
over we retired to rest, but not for long.

307

CHAPTER XVII.

AT about one o'clock that night I was par-
tially awakened by hearing Mr. Baldwin
address me by name, and wholly so on hearing
his further remark, **The lion is in the kraal,
and has killed another ox."

To jump out of bed and into a pair of trousers
was the work of a moment or two only. I had
brought blue lights with me, but hitherto no
chance of using them had presented itself.

It was to be feared the only chance of bagging
him was by going for him at once, for had he
reached the thick thorn behind the station, which
he always had done before sunrise on previous
occasions, the chance of killing him would have
been remote. Mr. Baldwin immediately volun-
teered to accompany me on being told that my
intention was to go to the kraal. There was
no moon, and the night was pitch dark, for a
cloudy sky completely obscured the stars. It
being impossible to use a rifle and hold a blue
light at the same time, I asked the boys if any
of them were men enough to come out with

me to the kraal. I confess to being agreeably

308

A NIGHT ATTACK ON A LION

surprised when three of them offered to do
Lecharu, one of the Mankoya boys, and a Mashi-
kolumbwe lad of about eighteen. This latter
boy's passive expression led me to trust him
with the holding of the blue light, which it
was my intention to strike when the moment
for doing so arrived. I placed him immediately
behind my right shoulder, and to his right the
other two armed with assegais advanced in line,
with Mr. Baldwin beyond. A shot into space —
probably accidental — from Mr. Baldwin's rifle
would, I feared, have caused the lion s retreat
into the bush beyond.

Not so, however, for when within twenty-five
yards of the kraal a low growl told his where-
abouts. The Mashikolumbwe boy had got
round to the far side of Mr. Baldwin, and I
looked for the light in vain. On calling him
he brought it, but twice the fuse refused to ignite.
Then came a second growl, and then another,
and a series in quick succession, each one nearer
than the last as the animal galloped towards
us. Retreat was out of the question ; it would
have been suicide for me, at least, as I was
nearest the enemy. With rifle at the ready I
waited till he should light close in front, prepara-
tory to making his final spring, when I hoped
to pour both barrels into his chest

Mr. Baldwin and the boys stood their
ground like bricks. The former I had confi-

309

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

dence in, but natives so seldom keep their heads
when in a tight corner, especially on a dark
night, that my fear was that they would bolt,
in which case the lion would almost to a certainty
have attacked me. As it was the growls stopped
about three paces away, though so dense was the
darkness that nothing could be seen. Another
attempt at the fuse set the light aglow, and
everything was visible within a radius of thirty or
forty yards. His lordship had taken covert! A
short wait and a second light without a further
glimpse of felis leOy and we returned to the
station with the intention of giving him time
to return to his kill.

In half an hour or so we renewed the attack.
This time, when a few yards from the place
where we had been standing during the first
attempt, another low growl caused me to strike
a light, when the Mashikolumbwe whispered
•* There is the lion."

" Where .>" I asked.

"There, close to the ant-heap."

The ant-heap rose some three paces from
the kraal, and about the same distance from the
other side of it the bush commenced. On either
side of the ant-heap was a dark object. To
the right what appeared like the head and
shoulders of a crouching lion, to the left some-
thing which I took for bush, but which seemed

much too high for a lion.

310

WE OVERSLEEP OURSELVES

A careful aim at the crouching lion, and all was
quiet The light had gone out before the smoke
cleared, but a second one revealed the object
aimed at still in the same position, but the large
one was there no more. Then it was obvious
I had fired at the wrong mark. We returned
to the house, and I felt I had missed a chance
not likely to recur.

Some time later a third attempt was made,
a light was struck, and the lion was to be seen
gliding away from the kraal to the bush, so we
returned at once to the house.

At four o'clock a council of war was held, and
we came to the conclusion that the only chance
remaining was to postpone the hunt till grey
dawn, when even if the lion had dragged the
carcase away he would probably not have
reached the thick bush. We had done a hard
day's work, and were inclined for rest, so each
retired to lie down on his bed for an hour and
a half. I had no intention of sleeping, so with
the candles burning made an effort to rest my
limbs only, but the brain would have none of
this arrangement, and w^s soon fast asleep.

The sun was risen in the heavens, and must
have been up an hour and a half, when the
opening of the hut door awakened me. Mr.
Baldwin looked amusingly ashamed of himself,
and I was by no means pleased to think that our
good friend Morpheus had so treacherously allied

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

himself with the Hon — our enemy. Contrary
to my wont when ladies or ministers of relig^ion
are present, it was impossible to swallow one
solitary " D — n " that rose from my throat with
the quick thought that the lion had escaped me.

The boys told Mr. Baldwin that the carcase
of the ox had been dragged away.

After a cup of coffee I suggested that there
.was just an off chance that the lion had not
reached the impenetrable part of the bush, and
that at all events no harm could be done by
following up the spoor, in which Mr. Baldwin
acquiesced.

The brute, it was found, had actually eaten his
way into the kraal through stakes the thickness
of a man's arm, and thus effected an entrance.

A quarter of a mile brought us to thicker
bush, but there was still standing room, and
without difficulty we advanced to within a few
yards of where the carcase of the ox was to be
seen, just within the entrance of a tunnel of
dense thorn about four feet high. No lion was
visible, but we knew he could not be far away.
The tunnel turned off. to the right about ten
jrards beyond the carcase, so that nothing could
be seen in front but a wall of dense thorn. In a
few moments what appeared to be but a low growl
from behind this screen told me all I wanted to
know. This same growl, Mr. Buckenham after-
wards told us, sounded loud to him although

312

THE LION CONFRONTED IN DAYLIGHT

within doors 600 yards away, and I have often
noticed this same remarkable peculiarity in the
growl of a lion at a distance.

Making a sign to Mr. Baldwin to remain where
he was, I commenced to skirt the bush — it was
not a large patch — with a view to taking the
enemy in flank.

I had not gone more than a few yards, and was
just on a line with the dead ox, when a huge lion
bounded down the tunnel and took up his position
immediately behind the carcase. Mr. Baldwin
stood his ground but did not fire, and although
the animal was not six feet from me I could not
get my rifle through the intervening thorns before,
having noticed me apparently for the first time,
he turned and trotted back to covert Once more
advancing and peering into the bush in front, my
eyes rested on a small patch of light brown
visible through an opening only a few inches in
diameter. Not quite clear whether this was not a
barkless tree or an ant-heap, I watched it intently
for some seconds, when my sight detected a slight
movement in the position of a dark patch on the
lighter colouring. This could only be the nose
or the ear of the lion, and it was all that it was
necessary to see, for according as the animal was
facing or standing sideways a bullet striking one
or the other must enter the brain.

The only comparatively clear view of the mark
was too high for a kneeling, but too low for a

313

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

Standing position. In a necessarily constrained
posture I felt by no means confident of hitting
the animal in the right spot^ but fortune favoured
— the report, a sudden movement in the light
brown colouring, and everything was quiet

The bullet had entered the right nostril, passed
through the brain and then through the atlas
vertebra, which it shattered, finally resting under
the skin at the back of the head. On measuring
the distance, it was found that thirteen paces had
separated me from the lion.

Asking Mr. Baldwin to see that the position of
the dead animal was not interfered with, I fetched
my camera from the station and photographed
him where he lay. Then leaving Lecharu to
keep guard, for the natives of this country have
a way of wetting their assegais in the blood of a
fallen lion, and also rather like to hang his claws
round their necks as charms, we returned for
breakfast.

Going back to the carcase an hour or so later,
we found a gathering of naked Mashikolumbwe,
who were now coming in fast from every direction.
Two of the chiefs deemed this a fitting oppor-
tunity for airing their eloquence, and addressed
me in long, fluent speeches, of which, however,
I understood but little.

A Mashikolumbwe strongly objects to being
photographed, but I could have done anything
with them just at that time, so took advantage of

314

A LARGE LION— HIS M£ASUR£M£NTS

the existing good feeling to take a photograph of
a group as they stood watching the body of the
animal that had spent so merry though short a
time among them.

It was decided to bring the body to the mission
station and skin him there. A long pole was cut,
and to it the legs were tied, when seven boys
hoisted him on their shoulders and carried him in.
With the help of Mr. Baldwin, and in the presence
of Mr. and Mrs. Buckenham, careful measurements
were taken. Between two assegais placed per-
pendicularly in the ground, the one at the point
of the shoulder, the other against the heel pads
of both feet — toes pressed well back — his standing
height was shown to have been forty-three inches.
To the tips of the toes taken in the same way the
measurement was forty-seven inches, which, it may
be assumed, is proof that the feet were not merely
half pressed back. From tip of nose to root of
tail was six feet ten inches ; tail, three feet ; fore-
arm, nineteen and a half inches; circumference
of head above eyes, thirty-one and three-eighths
inches ; girth, forty -nine and one -eighth inches.
The skull measured, in straight line — width,
nine inches and three-quarters; length, fifteen
and a quarter inches. In order to weigh the
carcase a spring balance was attached to the hind
legs and the body hauled up to a stout branch.
The machine was only capable of indicating
400 pounds, but there was room for some fifty

315

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

more to have been marked. When, however,
the head still rested sideways on the ground,
the indicator was forced to its extremity, thus
showing approximately about 450 pounds. We
calculated, therefore, that the lion must have
weighed nearer six than five hundred pounds.

Anxious to get the exact weight I proceeded
to have him skinned, intending to weigh the
skin, hind legs, and trunk in separate pieces.
The skin was all but off when a heavy downpour
of rain came on, so giving Pony most definite
instructions that the lion was not to be touched
until my return I retired to shelter. It drizzled
for some time after the violence of the storm had
passed, so I made no haste to return. When I
did, however, my annoyance can be imagined
when the picture that met my eyes is described.
The lion was skinned, decapitated, and dismem-
bered ; even the kidneys had been removed, the
stomach had been opened, and the ox meat ex-
tracted therefrom was boiling on a wood fire hard
by. So the weighing of the carcase was out of
the question.

Such was the boy Pony who was recom-
mended to me by his late employer at Mafeking
as the best boy he had ever had, though he had
been compelled to dismiss him for constantly
hankering after his master's whiskey bottle,
which craving he satisfied whenever possible.

For myself I never yet had a boy who so

316

THE LION PAID OUT IN HIS OWN COIN

persistently varied his inclination to do nothing
at all with the occasional accomplishment of the
wrong thing.

The carcase of the lion was taken away and
eaten by the Mashikolumbwe, in spite of the fact
that two ladies of their tribe had been interred
therein.

All this happened on Sunday, the 9th of Feb-
ruary. The surrounding villagers assembled in
their numbers, and Messrs. Buckenham and
Baldwin had the largest congregation that ever
assembled to listen to them ; in fact, with the
exception of the two or three who occasionally
turned up, their first Sunday at Nkala two years
before supplied the only other congregation
worthy of the name, for the Mashikolumbwe
have no wish to be better than the worst I had
never been among such an all-round bad lot till
entering their country. Mr. Baldwin remains
alone at Nkala — for Mr. Buckenham only sur-
vived his little daughter by a few months — and it
is to be hoped he will be able to do something to
improve this hopeless people, but if too much is
expected it is to be feared disappointment will
follow.

On Tuesday, the nth, a start was made with a
mixed caravan of Mashikolumbwe and Mankoyas,
who had agreed to take my loads to Kazungula,
whither it was my intention to return by a more
easterly route.

317

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

There was very litde game in the country now,
as that cruel scourge the rinderpest had swept
through it, killing about ninety-five per cent, of
all ruminants.

The following evening I killed a wildebeest,
but unfortunately had only two boys with me.
Between them they carried a good piece of meat
into camp, but at the time of arrival it was too
dark to send for the rest that night

Early next morning two hartebeests passed
down the valley, on the edge of which the tent
was pitched. A bullet brought one down without
my having to leave camp.

Boys that had been sent for the remainder
of the wildebeest shot the previous evening found
nothing but bones. The hyaenas and jackals had
devoured the meat However, the hartebeest
provided a good feast for the porters, which was
fortunate at this early stage of the journey, as
very little faith was to be put in these boys unless
their stomachs were kept well filled. Only about
four and a half miles was traversed that day,
during which I skirted the plain through which
the Kafukwe flows.

On the 14th I was surprised to see white
sheets hanging up near some huts a short distance
to the left of the path. This proved to be a
mission station recently founded by a Mr. Picker-
ing, who lived there with his wife, who at that

time was nursing him through a bad attack of

318

THE MISSIONARY'S WIFE AND TH£ FLOCK

fever. Poor Mrs. Pickering had her hands full
with one thing and another. I just arrived in
time to witness the ejectment of a tall Mashiko-
lumbwe from the station. He left reluctantly as
the good lady gave him a severe scolding. I
wondered what sin the retreating nigger had
committed, when Mrs. Pickering explained :

" I always turn these people away when they
come here with absolutely nothing on."

It is doubtless unpleasant to a European lady
to see stark-naked men wandering about their
premises, but after all the evicted savage wore
his national "get-up/' than which he and his
fathers before him had known no other —
simply a chignon on the back of his head, and
a necklace round his neck — a most unassuming
garb, and to him not indecent. I wondered
how many natives would visit the station if
the possession of a loin cloth were a sine
qua non.

After spending a couple of hours at the
station in order to allow Mrs. Pickering to write
letters, which I had volunteered to take to
Kazungula, the journey was recontinued.

Two days later a halt was made at midday
near a village. The chief visited me and asked
me to remain there that day and shoot some
game for his edification, or more accurately
speaking, mastication.

The condition that if he supplied boys to

319

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

lead me to the game he should have a present
of part of the meat was readily complied with.

This occasion furnished another interesting
instance of the penetrative power of the Mann-
licher bullet.

A herd of pallah was viewed about 250 yards
away, and beyond the range of the i6-bore.
Taking a Mannlicher, I aimed at the shoulder
of a ram standing broadside on. He fell in his
tracks. On going to the spot a doe also was
found to be lying dead within five paces of the
ram. The bullet had passed through the heart
of the former and out through the off shoulder,
then striking the latter just in front of the hind-
quarters had passed through the spine, which
was of course shattered, and out at the other
side.

The meat was brought in, and nearly half was
given to the chief and the boys who had ac-
companied me.

Some time afterwards it was discovered that
the villagers had purloined nearly all the meat
reserved for the boys.

It can be understood that these monkey-like
thefts are calculated in all circumstances to
provoke. In this instance it was especially the
case, for since recovering from dysentery, con-
tinual hard work had prevented my putting on
flesh in place of what I had lost, and when two

and a half stone below normal weight, it follows

320

MEAT STOLEN BY VILLAGERS

that though what is left may be hard, there is
a lack of extra substance to supply fuel for extra
exertion. Hunting in a country where so clean-
sweeping a scourge as the rinderpest had so
materially decimated the game as in this case,
generally means hard work and consequent
delay, for meat is a necessity where other food
is unprocurable. Delay as likely as not would
deprive me of the means of getting back to
civilization, for even now the epidemic was well
in front, and if it reached Kazungula before I
inspanned for the journey southwards, to be
stranded without provisions or means of crossing
the Kalahari Desert must be the inevitable
sequel. Hoping to get back part at least of the
stolen meat, I turned to the chief and addressed
him :

" I have given you and your people meat, and
yet they steal what I want for myself. Order
those who have taken it away to bring it back.*'

The boys were packing their loads, and every-
thing was nearly ready for a start, but still no
meat had been returned. A fishing-spear was
standing in the ground near me, so seizing it I
turned once more to the chief and said :

"Your people have not brought back the
meat. When it is returned I will give back this
spear, but not till then."

Twice more the request was repeated, but
elicited no response. A sudden impulse seized
Y 321

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

me, to which perhaps it would have been more
prudent not to have yielded, and in a moment
the spear was shattered across my knee, and the
broken shaft on the ground.

The natives lost no time in responding to a
vigorous " Tsamaia / " (go !).

A short time afterwards small groups of
niggers were to be seen standing about, and in
each case an orator harangued his audience.
Most things have their counterpart Here was
Hyde Park on Sunday afternoon being played
in Central Africa.

It looked like starting time ; so, instructing
the boys not to lag behind, but to keep close,
I led the way, carrying a Mannlicher, and
followed by Lecharu, with my double - barrel
i6-bore. I did not anticipate an attack, though
thought it wise to be prepared. The path led
through the village, and it was most important
that it should be followed, for quitting it would
imply fear, and fear invite attack.

When about half-way through the village, an
opportunity was offered for making peace with
the chief without loss of dignity. While passing
a low thorn ** scherm," he advanced and handed
me the piece of meat that had been given him.
I of course refused to take it, adding, "That
meat is a present from me to you. I do not
want back any presents, but am angry that your
people should have taken meat which I had

A THREATENED ATTACK BY NATIVES

not given them." He thanked me, and I went
on feeling that he at least was squared

Beyond the village there was a large mealie
field through which the path led. For about
500 yards the stalks were very sparse and
stunted, so that there was no covert, but beyond
the corn was dense and some eight feet high.
On leaving the village a number of armed
natives, most of them with assegais, but one
or two with bow and poisoned arrows, followed
at about sixty yards away on the left flank,
while two or three were to be seen moving
round on the right The oudook was threaten-
ing, and I kept an eye on the movements of a
poisoned arrow gentleman in advance of his
companions, whose arrow was already on the
string, but pointing downwards, intending to
pick him off as soon as he raised his bow — he
was only sixty yards away. Only twenty more
paces and the thick mealies would be reached,
where the niggers could get to within six feet
without being seen. Deciding to try the " game
of bluff," I ordered the boys to close up, and
then taking two or three paces in the direction
of the natives brought my Mannlicher down to
the "ready," and proceeded to raise it to my
shoulder. In a moment the whole rabble turned
about and fled towards the village. They had
run a hundred yards without turning by the
time the thick mealies were entered, and even

333

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

had they made another attempt to get into them
they could not have done so before the open
ground beyond had been reached.

On the 1 8th I camped near a village called
Bisi. Here the first-fruits of the years harvest
had just been gathered, and corn was brought in
for sale in large quantities. I also bought four
young guinea-fowls in a couple of ingeniously con-
structed basket-work cages. These I hoped to
bring to England with me, as they belonged to
a species I then believed to be new.

This cluster of villages stands within three
miles of the borders of the Matoka plateau,
across which I intended taking a course some
twenty or thirty miles to the east of the previous
route. To make the most of my work it was
essential that local natives should accompany
me who knew the names of the many tributary
rivers to be crossed, and to which system each
belonged.

No boys would consent to come with me,

which seemed unaccountable, as the Matokas —

among whom I was once more — had previously

shown exceptional readiness to earn a few feet

of calico and their food. At last the explanation

came. Letangu presented himself at the door

of my tent, looking very much amused, and

confided to me that the absconding porters had

passed through Bisi on their way home, and had

told the people that I had killed both Macumba

324

j^m

WCf

LYING REPORTS BY DESERTERS

and himself, for which reason they had left me.
They had not yet realised that the two ** dead "
boys were still with me ; so going out to the
villagers who were squatted on the ground a
few yards from the tent, I asked them :

*' Did those old women who were afraid to
go with me into the Mashikolumbwe country tell
you I had killed Letangu and Macumba ? "

" Ee."

" Look then at the two dead boys ; this is
Letangu and this is Macumba. Dead boys are
not often so fat as these."

Letangu then proved his identity to their
satisfaction, though at first they were reluctant
to believe him. Afterwards two boys came
forward and offered to act as guides to the
Umgwezi river.

The next day a start was made at ten o'clock.
Two heavy showers caused much delay and wet
everything. As a consequence it was found
necessary to travel for a short time after sunset
in order to reach water.

Pony, the hopeless, was no longer my head

boy, and Letangu reigned in his stead, so I saw

little of him, more especially as the affection with

which he regarded my small supply of provisions

made it advisable that he should sleep with the

porters and not near my fire, with the two

boys told off as personal servants, as had been

his privilege.

325

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

Consequently it was not till next morning that
I learnt that he was missing, and had not slept in
camp that night

Letangu was ordered to detail two boys to
go back on the spoor of yesterday and bring
in the missing boy, for he had complained of
being sick on the previous day, and I sus-
pected that he had made a small camp of his
own and there remained. Letangu returned to
say the boys would not obey him. This was
only another instance of the abject selfishness
of the African — he always considers, as is the
way of wild animals, that his first duty towards
a sick companion is to leave him !

An order from me of a somewhat peremptory
nature persuaded them to change their mind, and
in an hour s time Pony was in camp. Fever was
raging in him, so I gave him a day's rest and a
good dose of quinine. The next day — the 21st
of February — I camped on the highest point of
the plateau traversed; my observations made it
4 IXC feet above the sea-level. The tsetse fly
had been very troublesome on this high ground,
which at this, the wet season, is as a rule teem-
ing with game ; but so deadly had the rinderpest
proved itself that only once had game been seen
since leaving Bisi. Deprived of the blood of
beasts, they collected themselves and attacked
the boys and myself to some tune.

326

CHAPTER XVIII.

EARLY next morning exclamations from the
boys awakened me. All I could learn in
answer to the question, " What is the matter ?"
was that something had gone wrong with the
gfuinea-fowls. However, on getting up to ascer-
tain for myself, very little was to be seen of the
poor birds.

Their cages swarmed with "serui," the dark
brown soldier -ant, whose first cousin, the red
"semi," has been alluded to in a previous
chapter. There were apparently four sizes of
the ant, varying from one-eighth to three-eighths
of an inch in length. The flesh of the inmates
of one cage was entirely consumed — all that
remained were the bones and feathers. The
other two birds were about half eaten.

This calls to mind an experience a missionary
gave me in which he was the sufferer.

While travelling up the Zambezi in native
canoes he was landed on an island one evening
and camp was formed for the night A few
native huts stood some little distance from the
river-bank, and thither the canoe boys asked

3^7

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

and obtained permission to go, promising to
return early next morning.

A sharp nip, and then another and another
roused my friend during the late hours of night
Striking a light he found the ground was literally
swarming with these soldier - ants, and some
hundreds were already crawling over his legs and
body. Tearing his shirt off he fled in search
of some uninfested corner, but finding none on
dry ground — for he described the whole surface
of the island as swarming with these litde
creatures — he had perforce to enter the water.
The boys had taken the canoes with them to
the bank, so there was only one thing left
for the unhappy man to do, and that he did.
Till morning he was compelled to stand ankle-
deep in water, naked and cold, for it was winter,
when towards morning there is sometimes even
a degree or two of frost in these latitudes. It
is fortunate a hung^ry crocodile did not pass
that way, for in some parts of the Zambezi
these reptiles are very voracious.

Another missionary related to me how one
morning he found a calf of his that had been
tethered for the night, stone-dead and partially
consumed by "serui."

That evening Pony did not turn up with the

stragglers, and on enquiry I was told that he

could not stand up, so they had left him.

Here was another instance of the brute nature

328

COMPELLED TO LEAVE PONY BEHIND

of the African, which I reproduce from my
diary:

" Sent Letangu and another boy back for
him — some two miles. They returned without
him. Sent them off again with matches and
food, instructing them to bring him in early in
the morning. They all three arrived together,
but I found the two boys had gone to the
village a hundred yards away, slept there, and
gone for him next morning. I do not believe
these insults to human nature would walk a
mile to save a brother from death ! "

The next evening — the 23rd — this performance
was repeated. It was impossible to delay in
order to rest the boy, for the rinderpest had not
yet been overtaken, and though much to the
east I was within fifty miles of the latitude of
Kazungula. The disease was travelling from
north to south.

Probably even if the oxen had so far escaped,
I should not be able to inspan till some six days
after arrival at Kazungula, so impressing on
Pony that if he wished to return to Mafeking
with me he must find his way to Kazungula
before a start was made, I arranged with the
people of a neighbouring village that he should
have shelter and food until able to follow, and
also left him the means to purchase any neces-
saries he required on the road to Kazungula.

That day the travelling was down hill, the

329

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

descent averaging loo feet for every 3000 yards.
By midday the Umgwezi was reached and found
to be very different in character from the lower
reaches of the river. The bed here is steep and
rocky, the banks high, and the country through
which it flows is composed of steep undulations
strewn with stones and boulders of every size.

Fortunately the heavy com harvest that the
Matoka were reaping after two years of famine
owing to locust depredations, had done away
with the necessity of hunting, or food would have
been scarce in camp, since the rinderpest seemed
to have made a clean sweep of almost all game.
A few waterbuck remained on the banks of the
Umgwezi, and one of these was bagged and
supplied meat for the boys by way of change ;
with the exception of these, which were noticed
two or three times each day, a few klip-
springers — the only ones I had seen during this
expedition — appeared to represent the four-footed
fauna of this part of the Umgwezi. Two days
later this district of rocky undulation and rough
travelling was left behind, the country became
almost flat, and for some distance from either
bank open. Here a small herd of roan antelope
was seen, and the spoor of wildebeest, eland,
and zebra, and I began to think I was heading
the disease at last, though at the eleventh hour.

On the 27th, midday rest was taken near a
large village. The boys evidently found them-

330

TWO MASHIKOLUMBWES DESERT

selves among congenial spirits, and although they
had been told when I intended making a start,
half a dozen of them absented themselves till after
sundown, expecting, no doubt, that they had put
a spoke in the wheel of progress for that day
and would be able to return to the village and
spend the evening in frivolous revelry with the
villagers. It was moonlight, so I determined
to make up for lost time and do some night
travelling. There was something of a protest
when the order to pack up the loads was given,
but that was not repeated when they were given
to understand that any boy who gave trouble
would be turned out of camp, would not receive
his blanket, and a messenger would be sent to
Latia asking him to send boys to carry the
goods to Kazungula. They saw the argument,
for Kazungula was only two days distant

After travelling for about an hour, a young
Mankoya boy was to be heard shouting a quarter
of a mile to the rear. He was answered, but
continued to call each time I replied. It could
not be, therefore, that he had lost his way ; either
he had hurt himself by falling into some pit or
been treed by a lion, so two boys were sent
back to ascertain the meaning of his repeated
calls. They returned with the boy, who told
how two Mashikolumbwe porters had deserted
with their loads and had tried to persuade him
to abscond with them. It would have been

331

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

impossible to follow their spoor successfully at
night, so I determined to camp at the first water
and follow them next morning, even if I had to
do so for fifty miles, and woe betide them if they
did not go quicker than I did, which was hardly
to be expected considering their loads.

Water was found close at hand. The deserters
had with them seventy yards of calico, all the
horns I had saved during this second expedition
from Kazungula, the lion's skull, about two dozen
jackal, wild cat and other skins, and a bag
containing odds and ends.

Fever was already on me, but unfortunately
the next morning my temperature was very high
and I did not feel up to travelling all day in
the sun.

Lecharu was a good spoorer and not in
sympathy with the Mashikolumbwe, so I pro-
mised him a present of lo^. if he recovered
the trophies, which I anticipated the miscreants
would leave behind after their first halt Four
boys accompanied him, with the understanding
that any who assisted in recovering the lost
things should have a present of a sitziba. For
myself, Warburgs tincture and the blankets
promoted a profuse perspiration, so that by four
o'clock I felt almost well again. Shortly after
I was delighted to see Lecharu and the boy who
gave the alarm the previous night arrive with
the trophies — ^the others had gone in another

332

THE DESERTERS' STORY

direction, probably that of the village. A clean
white sitziba five minutes later decorated the loins
of the one porter who had carried out my instruc-
tions. It was the first he had ever worn, and
caused him to swagger about for the next day or
two with an air of conscious self-importance.

The following morning at seven o'clock a start
was made in a southerly direction. By noon
fifteen miles had been marched, and the caravan
rested near a village. This proved to be the
home of the boy Macumba, whose appearance
created considerable sensation among his fellow-
villagers ; and well it might, for this is the tale
they had been told and led to accept as gospel
Of course the first question the boys who
had deserted in the Mashikolumbwe country
would invariably be asked was :

*'Why have you left the white man.*^"

Answer : " The white man shot Macumba,
Letangu, and the three boys he brought with
him from Mangwato while they slept at night
The noise of his rifle awakened us from our
sleep, and we only just managed to escape with
our lives."

Question : " What has become of the white
man ? "

Answer : " Oh, he went by himself right into
the Mashikolumbwe country and has never been
heard of since."

Such was the perfected tale which the in-

333

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

ventive genius of these boys had consistently
spread everywhere. It had even, I afterwards
discovered, reached the ears of Mr. Bagley, a
trader at Pendamatenka, who was preparing for
a journey to Lialui. Liwanika, of course, had
heard of it, as had all the missionaries and
natives in the land. Two chiefs had been sent
down to Kazungula from Lialui to make further
enquiries for the king's edification. The mis-
sionaries, of course, did not believe the tale
in totOy but conceived the idea that I might have
fallen foul of my boys, and myself been killed
after sending on the five who had not returned
in advance, to announce my speedy arrival in
another sphere.

All along the route to Kazungula the people
came out to meet the caravan, for messengers
had of course gone on from village to village
with the news of my arrival. I must confess to
being immensely surprised at the enthusiasm of
my reception. In many instances men marched
alongside for a mile or so past their villages,
jabbering their congratulations and laughing
cheerily. I began to realise the sensation —
afterwards shown to exist — that the alleged
bloodthirsty conduct attributed to me had created
in these parts.

The deserters would not have dared to spread
such a report had they deemed the return of
myself and boys likely. Had untoward circum-

334

THE VALUE OF NATIVE REPORT

Stances arisen in Mashikolumbweland to prevent
that return, this tale would have been believed
by the uncharitable, modified by the more liberal-
minded, and probably disbelieved in toto by the
few who knew me. Knowledge of this dispelled
any intention I may have had not to insist on the
severe punishment of the absconding boys at
the hands of Liwanika and Latia, for they were
genuinely in terror of the Mashikolumbwe, and
so far there was excuse for their desertion. As it
was, not only did the sleek appearance of the
two resurrected faithful ones gfive the lie to any
suggested ill-treatment, but they were frequently
to be heard protesting that the '' white man was a
good master, and that they had always had plenty
to eat'' As a matter of fact, from the first time I
visited Africa in 1 890 till my arrival at Kazungula
in March, 1896, no native had ever been chastised
by me or at my instigation.

In attempting to give an unvarnished account
of my travels among these people, I have en-
deavoured to avoid wasting the reader's time and
my own by moralising and giving vent to every
thought that circumstances may have suggested
from time to time, but an exception has been
made in this case in order to prove to impartial
minds with what a very big g^in of salt the numer-
ous uncharitable tales reflecting on the humanity
and manhood of those who have been losing and
risking their lives in the interests of the empire

335

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

during the recent Matabele revolt, ought to be
taken. So many of these "yarns" have been
proved to be slanderous and ill-founded, though
in a small minority of instances there may be
some proof of excess — generally under trying
circumstances, — that it is impossible for anyone
worthy the name of an Englishman not to resent
these cruel libels. It would be interesting to
notice the effect on the opinions of such gentle-
men as those alluded to, had they an opportunity
of seeing with their eyes, in place of through the
vision of a prejudiced imagination, the struggle
between the white man and the black in Rhodesia.
Had the termination of my earthly existence
occurred in January, 1896, instead of being provi-
dentially postponed to a later period, it is not
inconceivable that when the news of my alleged
and unrefuted brutality reached England, as it
must have done in a few months, a certain
though happily a small section of the press would
have held this up as yet another instance of the
barbarity with which white men in Africa treat
the poor helpless savage. It would have mattered
little to the deceased "slaughterer of unarmed and
slumbering natives," but might have caused pain
to his friends.

Another piece of news given me by the natives
showed that my return to Kazungula was not a
bit too early. The rinderpest had killed off" all
but about a dozen of the hundreds of cattle in the

336

RINDERPEST RAVAGES

neighbourhood of Sesheke, which as the crow
flies is within forty miles of Kazungula. The
mission cattle, 120 odd, were all dead. It had
already crossed the Zambezi there, and was
travelling south. The game was already dying
beyond the radius of a few miles of Kazungula
itself, but as yet the disease had not shown itself
among the cattle. There was no time to be lost,
and I made up my mind to travel hard, a resolve
that was favoured by an almost full moon. The
camp fire was not lighted that night till one a.m.,
after thirty miles had been completed. The next
night at eight p.m. Kazungula was reached after
marching a further twenty-three and a half miles,
so that the boys, each of whom carried a load
of not less than forty pounds, and some over fifty,
had covered fifty-three and a half miles in thirty-
seven hours, a performance which spoke volumes
for their endurance and amenability alike.

Early this last day — March ist — the left of my
last pair of shoes gave out — the sole, which had
been gradually parting company from the welt,
hung on to the heel only, which was itself merely
attached on the inside. At first the foot was tied
up in a towel, but it was not long before the sharp
seeds which the grass was now shedding had
worked through to the feet, and thus converted
the towel into an instrument of torture such as
the mediaeval officers of the Inquisition would
have revelled in. This towel then shared the
z 337

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

fate of the boot, and the last ten miles were
done with no other covering to the left foot than a
sock. It was not very pleasant going, and my
foot was somewhat cut about by the end of the
journey, but as there was little walking to be
done the next few days I soon went sound again.

After a good night's rest I hobbled round to
the mission station. There I was sorry to find
both M. and Mdme. Boiteau down with fever;
the lady had recently presented her husband with
a daughter, and for some days had been in a very
critical condition.

The news received from the natives about the
rinderpest proved to be quite correct, with this
addition — that it had already crossed the Kwando
(Chobe), and was travelling south through the
Kalahari. This was not encouraging, for should
it catch me in the desert my only chance would
be to abandon everything but my maps, diaries,
photographs, and as much food as could be
carried, and tramp through that inhospitable
sandy waste.

In the afternoon I went to see Latia, when, of
course, the first subject discussed was the boys
who had deserted.

Latia is an intelligent native, and although as
a rule there is little or no sincerity of faith among
the majority of Christian natives, I believe him
to be one of the bright exceptions, and further,
as the king s son and heir, one calculated to have

338

A CHAT WITH LATIA

a most beneficial influence on his people ; for his
life and conduct always appeared consistent with
his professions.

After hearing an account of my journey, he
said :

" I have been very anxious, for I was afraid
harm had come to you, but I never believed you
had killed the boys, for I know my people
often do not speak the truth. Still, there are
some who did believe the boys' tale." To which
he added, " Some people always like to believe
what is bad about others."

" Yes," I answered, " it is the same way with
some white men as it is with your people. Now,
I am more angry with these boys on account
of the lies they have told than because they left
me, so I want you to send for those who belong
to you, and try them in the presence of Letang^
and Macumba ; then, if you find that they have
lied and have always been well fed and well
treated, I wish you to punish them, so that your
people may see that when a white man behaves
well to them they must treat him properly, and
not leave him by himself on the veldt."

He agreed to do as requested, so I added :

"It will be wise for you to do so, for you know
the English people will soon be coming into your
country. They will want your people to work for
them, and will give them calico and money. If
your boys treat them as they have done me,

339

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

and the chiefs do not punish them, many white
men will punish their boys themselves, and this
will give trouble."

Next the two Mashikolumbwe who had
absconded with their loads had to be dealt
with. Latia gave sundry exclamations of dis-
approval as a list was given him of the articles
stolen.

"These boys left at the Umgwezi, close to
Kazungula," I continued; " that shows that they
deserted only for the purpose of stealing the
things they carried, for their journey was nearly
finished and they would have received their pay
in three days. What I want you to do is this —
send special messengers after them at once, and
they may be caught before they reach their home ;
if not they will easily be found, for they live near
'Meruti' Buckenham, and I will write a letter
describing them, for he knows all the boys I
engaged there.''

*' I will send after them, and they shall be
punished a hula-hula'' (very much).

" Then I make you a gift of all the calico
and skins, out of which you can give your
messengers what presents you think fit. The
other things I wish you to hand over to * Meruti '
Boiteaux, as there are some letters among them
which he will send on to me."

And so it was arranged, nor did I feel
sufficiently charitable towards these two mis-

340

AN UNRULY OX

creants to wish them anything less than the
severest punishment.

Arrangements having been made for swimming
the oxen across the river next day, after which
canoes would be placed at my disposal for a
journey to Sesheke to bring away those trophies,
etc., which M. Goy had kindly consented to take
charge of, I departed.

The following was an uneventful day as the
canoes did not turn up, but the rest did my feet
no harm.

On the morning of the next, however — the 4th
of March — the tent was pitched on the south
bank, and everything I had at Kazungula, in-
cluding the oxen, had been taken across.

An attempt to swim the six oxen over at once
with one canoe leading and a second driving
proved successful in so far as five of them were
concerned, but not so with No. 6 — he had not
the smallest intention of voluntarily taking to
water. When the remainder were safe across
an attempt was made to secure this troublesome
brute by a riem. As soon as he saw what the
idea was up went his tail and away he went with
a couple of boys on his track; he took them
quite a mile across a marshy plain before they
could head him. A second attempt ; once more
a protest by the ox, and another run for the
boys — this time, however, for three or four
hundred yards only, when he was turned and

341

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

driven back. The riem was now over his horns,
the canoe was putting away, and a crowd of
boys shouted, pushed, and applied sticks to
his hind-quarters, but nothing could be done,
for whenever he found himself up to the belly
in water he kicked and plunged so violendy that
his drovers scattered in all directions.

At last a second riem was thrown over the horns
and two canoes placed parallel one to the other
and about four yards apart The ox was driven
forwards between the two until I was able to
sit in the centre of one holding the end of a
riem, while the other was entrusted to a boy
sitting similarly in the second canoe. At a
given signal the canoes were punted forward,
and the troublesome ox attacked from the rear
by some half-dozen natives. It looked like a
success, but unfortunately before he had quite
lost foothold the animal plunged away from me,
but finding the riem did not give, turned, and
came towards me. Of course the nigger let go
his riem as soon as it became taut, with the result
that in a second one cloven hoof was firmly
planted on my stomach and another on the side
of the canoe. The next moment the unstable
craft was at the bottom of the river in four feet
of water, myself still sitting in it held down by
the animal's foot. Then he rushed over me, but
without doing any harm. I was soon above the
surface, and fully realised the ludicrous side of

342

SOUTH AFRICAN POSTAL NEGLIGENCE

the picture. What a pity it should all have been
wasted on a pack of niggers, who, so far from
appreciating the comic side of the episode, looked
rather scared! I believe myself to have been
the only person to derive any amusement out
of the ducking, besides which it had an agree-
ably cooling effect after the heating fight with
my obstinate opponent

The next attempt was successful, and our
bovine friend lost his foothold before he had
time to lodge an effectual protest

That afternoon a waggon arrived at the right
bank from the south, and I was delighted to
shake hands with Messrs. Bagley and Kerr,
both of whom I had met previously. These
gentlemen were on their way to Lialui with
trading goods, and hoped to return with ivory
and as many of the more valuable class of skins
as they could purchase.

From the time of leaving Palapye in May,
1895, I had not received a single line or news-
paper from England, so that for ten months I
had been completely cut off from my friends at
home. This of course should not have been
the case, and can only be attributed to the up-
country postal arrangements, either at Palapye
or south of that place. The excuse of not
knowing my whereabouts would not hold water,
for two business letters from Mafeking had
reached me at Lialui. My instructions to the

343

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

postmaster at Palapye were that letters should
be handed to the Assistant Commissioner at
Palapye, who would forward them by the runners
that carried the missionaries* mails. That gentle-
man, and also his right-hand man, the assistant
magistrate, were personal friends of mine, and
any letters received by them would certainly
have reached me.

In these circumstances it can be imagined with
what greed the doings of the new Government
(new to me) were swallowed, and with what
satisfaction I heard of the strong manner in
which Lord Salisbury had asserted England's
intention to uphold her rights and dignity at all
costs. The first news, too, of the Jameson raid
reached me that day, but as these gentlemen
heard of it while en route it was received with
mystified incredulity, so unaccountably extra-
ordinary did the facts as recited appear, which
none the less were proved to be substantially
correct five weeks later.

The next day information was brought across
the river that the disease had broken out among
Latia s cattle, and two of them died that day.
They were, however, herded two miles from the
mission oxen with which mine had been running,
so that it did not follow that the germs of disease
were among them, in which case, with 600 yards
of river and a steady up-stream breeze, I might
yet escape. That noon a start was made for

344

SESHEKE ONCE MORE

Sesheke, which was reached an hour and a half
after dark the next evening.

It was not a pleasant journey, as heavy
showers fell at intervals each day. The river
was in places over the banks, and the flats that
extend for a few miles on either side were con-
verted into a huge marshy swamp. The canoes
left the river, and were punted the greater part
of the way through the grass, which generally
rose about a couple of feet above the water.
Thus the current was avoided and large corners
were cut off.

I was glad to find M. and Mdme. Goy in good
health, as on my previous visit they were both
suffering. They confessed to having given me up
for dead on hearing the tale the deserters had
disseminated throughout the country, and although
they did not credit the story of the boys in
its integrity, had concluded that I had in some
way been attacked, and in the skirmish killed
some of the niggers. I could not help alluding to
his own experiences with Mr. Baldwin, when the
two missionaries were reported by messengers to
Lialui as having fought one another so fiercely,
that had it not been for the Mokwai's people one
of them would surely have killed the other,
adding, " There is just as much truth in the one
story as there is in the other."

M. Goy confirmed the sad story of the decima-
tion of game to the south-west by the rinderpest.

345

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

I have given a description of the many species
and numerous herds met with in one short eight-
days' excursion only eight months earlier, in
hunting that district. Now according to native
report everything was dead, and the large herds
of buffalo that had given me such good sport
were rotting on the veldt Catde can be re-
placed, but it is to be feared wild game will
never again be more numerous in South Central
Africa than it is in the hunted-out districts of
Khama s country.

As has been previously stated, slavery and
aristocracy complete the sole popular classification
of the Marotse kingdom, and each Marotse chief
owns slaves from the subjugated tribes. When
a chief kills an ox he and his family greedily
consume meat and marrow, while the wretched
slaves get little more than the skin of the teeth.
It is an ill wind that blows no one any good, and
so it would seem the rinderpest epidemic was
no exception to the rule. M. Goy told me how
that the slaves of Sesheke revelled for days
in the foul meat of the dead catde. Any excep-
tional event is almost invariably put into song,
and this is M. Goy's translation of the song
in which the humbler people of Sesheke ex-
pressed their views and feelings on the clean
sweep of their masters* oxen —

"God has killed the oxen,
Dogs and slaves are fat."

346

S£KOM£ AND LIWANIKA

It will be noticed that with all the humility
of modesty they give the dogs the precedence,
and so frequently do their masters. In fact, it is
quite common for the slave who covets a piece of
meat, to crawl up to his master and address him
thus :

** I am your dog, feed me with meat" This
mode of address gives him a much better chance
of success than if he calls himself a slave.

For the last two or three weeks a war scare
had filled the country with excitement, and both
at Kazungula and Sesheke preparations were
in progress. Latia at the former place was
specially energetic, and small groups of eight
or ten warriors, each carrying an assegai, were
daily to be seen moving about at a quick pace in
single file and headed by a ** captain " armed with
a rifle.

All this was the outcome of an arrogant
demand by Sekome, son of Moreme, chief of
the Lake (Ngami).

1 1 seems that this young chief sent messengers
to Liwanika, demanding that he should abandon
the suzerainty of a tribe on the Kwando in the
south-west corner of his kingdom in favour of
their master. This deputation was at Lialui
during my visit in September. Of course the
answer was not satisfactory to the young aspirant
in the south, who promptly sent back an ultima-
tum— ** I am no longer friendly to you, Liwanika.

347

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

If you do not give me this tribe I will bring
an army and take it."

This evoked from the Marotse chief the
contemptuous reply which arrived at Sesheke
en route for Ngami during my visit

*• Moreme, chief of Ngami, — You say you are
no longer friendly to me. I am your father. Do
not come here to fight with me, but go to my son
Latia at Kazungula ; he is big enough for such as
you." The despatch concluded with the follow-
ing description of the origin of Sekome, son of
Moreme: ''Your father was a man with a fat
belly, your mother was a Masarwa."

Sekome's mother, though not actually a Ma-
sarwa (bushman) was a slave, which fact de-
prived him of the tight to rule. However, in this
case "might was right," for on the death of
Moreme he usurped the chieftainship, being at
the time a lad of eighteen only, and has retained
it for the last five years or thereabouts by force
of character only.

Three or four years ago a strong undercurrent
ran through his tribe in favour of the rightful
heir. His partisans had told him that it was
frequently asserted in the tribe that *' Sekome is
not the chief of Ngami."

He made a pretext for summoning all the
chiefs and headmen of the people to attend
an "indaba" at the "kotla."

When all had assembled, the youthful usurper

348

SEKOME AND KHAMA

walked out of his hut carrying a loaded rifle and
thus confronted his people :

"There are some of you who say that I
Sekome, son of Moreme, am not chief of my
father's people. Where are those men? Let
them stand up and tell me to my face what they
have said behind my back."

No one was going to be the first up, so all
remained seated, received a public admonition,
and were told to go home. Once while staying
at Palapye I met this youth. His copper-
coloured face wore a thoughtful and somewhat
** hang-dog" expression, and in stature he was
well below middle height. However, his estimate
of his own importance is not measured by his
inches, as the following incident tends to show.

Khama, who of course places Sekome in the
category of small fry, attended service in the
native church on Sunday afternoon. Sekome
also was present, and by way of compliment a
chair was placed for him immediately behind that
of the ruler of the Bamangwato, who occupied a
chair in front of his people and in a line with no
one. This was not good enough for the son of
Moreme, who advanced his chair to a level with
Khama's and there remained. When subse-
quently questioned as to his reason for acting
as he did, he tersely replied :

** I also am chief in my own country."

On the loth at midday I bade farewell to M.

349

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

and Mdme. Goy, to the former, I very much
regret to say, for the last time, for the first
Zambezi news to reach me after arrival in
England told how he had succumbed to fever
after three days* illness. Always hospitality
itself, he placed a roof and a bed at my disposal
during each visit to Sesheke, nor would he or his
good wife hear of my absenting myself from their
hospitable board during my stay there. His
energy and resource had built up a model station,
spacious, neat and clean. With the people of
Sesheke he was thoroughly in touch, the only
thorn in his side being the capricious young
chieftainess, who with her husband begrudged his
popularity among her subjects. To M. Goy more
than all others I owe much of such knowledge as
I was able to gather of the people and their
customs, to gain an accurate conception of which
requires more than a cursory passage through a
new country.

With a strong current in their favour the
paddlers made good progress, and I slept that
night within three hours' journey of Kazungula.
It was a nasty damp night, the air filled with
mosquitoes and a drizzling rain, from which a
blanket and rug only served as a partial pro-
tection. To add to the general discomfort
there was only sufficient fuel procurable to
cook a duck and a "beaker" of tea. The
boys had the best of it that night from their

350

I LEAVE THE ZAMBEZI

point of view, for they retired to a small native
village hard by. Personally, damp and mosqui-
toes were preferable to dryness and the particular
form of animal life that haunts the African s hut ;
I had been a victim on a previous occasion, so
that "once bitten twice shy" was not an in-
appropriate motto on this.

Shortly after sunrise a fresh start was made,
and at nine o'clock my journeys in the Marotse
kingdom were at an end.

That day a mail arrived in which were seven
letters for me — five from England and two from
the colony.

Messrs. Bagley and Kerr were still encamped
on the south bank, there being no canoes available .
for their journey other than those that had brought
me from Sesheke. I was unable to inspan that
day, as the cart required more packing than had
been anticipated, and some time had to be spent
on the other side of the river in paying farewell
visits to M. and Mdme. Boiteau and Latia before
I could get to work.

There it transpired that the epidemic was rife
among the cattle to the east of the town, but
as yet had not shown itself at the mission
station, which was to the west, so that there
was every hope that the germs were not in
my oxen.

By the evening of the 12th everything was
ready for a start. The cart, from which the

351

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

greater part of the canvas cover had been cut
by thieving natives, presented a unique appear-
ance. Out of a bag of ii 3 head some sixty had
been selected as trophies. These entirely filled
up the space from the baggage in the body of
the cart to the frame of the tent above, and
tied on behind with riems was the skin of a
hippo s head and neck, some five feet long, which
rested on three pairs of buffalo horns fixed on
the back of the cart Three Zambezi boys
had engaged themselves on the condition that
they should be allowed to accompany the cart
and be fed as far as Palapye — they affected a
wish to go to Kimberley to work in the mines,
which proved to be "bunkum," for at seven p.m.
when the oxen were inspanned the trio was " non
est " ; in other words, all they wished was to eat
and do nothing at my expense so long as the cart
remained stationary, but no longer. Thus it
happened that the desert had to be faced with
two worn-out boys — for Pony had turned up
a couple of days earlier — plenty of corn for the
boys, but only a little rice, oatmeal, tea, and
saccharine for their master.

352

CHAPTER XIX.

IT is generally supposed that ten oxen are
none too many to take a Scotch cart with
a load of 3000 lbs. through the heavy sand belts
of the Kalahari desert, though six can do it at a
pinch, provided they are carefully driven and con-
siderately treated. Four, however, would barely
have moved the empty cart up some of the
severer inclines, where the wheels sink so deep
that sand falls from the spokes as they move
round like water from a mill-wheel. The loss of
one ox, therefore, would have meant the abandon-
ment of everything but maps, diaries, and as
much food as could have been carried.

Added to this, no meat and no bread (for
Pony s theft in the Mashikolumbwe country had
deprived me of what would have been just
sufficient meal to last) did not promise fat fare or
variety for the succeeding four weeks, though,
fortunately, there was just sufficient rice, oatmeal,
and tea left to feed me a month — this sounds
frugal, but is none the less a great deal better
than nothing at all. Yet in spite of the only too
apparent odds against me, I bade my friends
3 A 3S3

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

Messrs. Bagley and Kerr farewell with a light
heart, we each genuinely wishing the other success
and bon voyage ; and as the oxen were set moving
I feh instinctively — nor did the feeling ever leave
me — that I should reach my destination in safety,
that the results. of my work would not be wasted,
nor would my bones — this time, at all events —
bleach unburied under the rays of the African sun.

As far as Pendamatenka the track is fairly
sound, the one bad place being the Gazuma flats,
which are very swampy in the wet season, though
they had already hardened, but were very rough
and lumpy. It took the oxen five and a half
hours to get over as many miles, while three
months earlier MM. Coillard and Jalla spent
three weeks in passing over-— or more literally
speaking through — the same ground. Two brace
of duck bagged in Gazuma vley were thoroughly
appreciated.

Three days and one trek brought the cart into
Pendamatenka, a distance of sixty-five miles.
Half of the trekking had been done by day and
half by night so far, but the little team already
showed signs of distress, so it was obvious that
in future day-trekking must be avoided or disaster
would be the result.

I will spare the reader an account of the daily
monotonous hard work, which was enhanced by
the groaning struggles of the poor oxen as they
gallandy forced the cart through the deep sand

3S4

IN THE DESERT

which rose all round them as they disturbed it
with their hoofs, half choking and parching them,
thus rendering the long treks from water to water
doubly trying.

Trekking went on all night and every night at
intervals— three hours' trek, one hour grazing —
from an hour before sunset to an hour before
sunrise, while during the whole day the oxen
slept and grazed at their own sweet will.

The boys had once more gone entirely to
pieces, and as Pony scarcely ever missed an
opportunity of driving the cart into a tree where
a chance of doing so occurred, I had been com-
pelled to appoint myself driver. When the nigger
is worked out any pretence of pluck he may have
possessed disappears. Here is a case in point.
The boy Lecharu, on receiving orders to fill
the vaatje (vessel for carrying water) from a
pool some distance from the road, but the only
water procurable for some miles — so far as I knew
at the time about forty-five — pointed to a small
scratch on one of his toes which would not have
brought tears to the eyes of a two-year-old infant,
and on the plea of that scratch pleaded exemption
from work. One boy or the other, too, would
occasionally fall behind and take a few hours'
sleep. It was impossible to wait for them between
waters, as when the oxen were compelled to
spend the day without drinking the mouths of the
poor creatures became so parched and dry that

355

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

they could not eat and strayed in all directions in
search of a pool. At first this trick gave me
much anxiety, as I imagined the boy had disap-
peared because he could not, and not because he
would not make an effort to follow. On discover-
ing that all this was merely a method for causing
delay, I gave them to understand that in future
I would stop for neither of them, and kept my
word, with the result that the practice was dis-
continued. Then their blankets would come
untied from the back of the cart and be missed,
a boy would go back to look for them, and
return in about three hours.

After this had happened twice, they were told
that if the blankets came loose again they would
have to remain where they dropped. They knew
it would be so, consequently the blankets came
loose no more. In this way Wacha was reached
on March 25th. Thus the worst of the journey
was over, and had been got through very satis-
factorily at an average of fourteen miles a day.

At this vley the Bulawayo and Palapye roads
meet, and as the former is much sounder, better
watered, and about fifty miles nearer civiliza-
tion, I decided to take it, sell my cart and oxen
there, and travel on to Mafeking by post-cart,
after packing my effects and leaving them to be
forwarded by my agents to England. Thus with
only another 200 miles in front of me, I branched
off by the eastern road that evening.

356

PONY ABSENTS HIMSELF FOR TWO DAYS

Two nights hard trekking, without any water
for the oxen, brought the cart safely to Tama-
sanka. Here was plenty of water and a good
" veldt," so I decided to give the oxen a well-
earned twenty-four hours' rest, and have a night's
sleep myself, a luxury only once experienced
since leaving Pendamatenka.

Pony had disappeared the night but one before,
taking with him his blanket, some food, and the
waggon whip. Lecharu told me he had deserted,
and intended travelling to Palapye with some
Zambezi boys who had left Wacha by the western
road. The news did not turn my hair grey, as
the boy was worse than useless at best

The next day showed that something had
caused him to change his mind, for in marched
Master Pony with the blanket and waggon whip.
Whether it was that the Zambezi boys had
refused to accept the pleasure of his company,
as he had only been able to take four days' food
with him, being what I had served out as two
days* rations for Lecharu and himself, or whether
on weighing the chances of arrest later on for
desertion he had thought better of the move, I
do not know ; but one thing he brought with him
through having to travel two days in the sun
without water was a hot dose of fever. As the
wretched boy was so ill he was not punished ;
in fact, every living thing that moved with that
rickety, prematurely old cart (which bore the

357

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

name of a maker who deserves to have his name
published for making one wheel of green wood),
from the oxen that drew it to the master who
drove, had suffered enough punishment to atone
for six months' sins and misdemeanours.

Retiring early, I meant to make the most of
my night between the blankets. In carrying
out this resolve, and in the full enjoyment of a
** Europe" morning, towards eight o clock a strange
sound roused me suddenly — it sounded like the
voice of a white man. And so it proved to be,
for on rolling round I was greeted with a " good
morning " and a grin.

It is needless to say an opportunity such as
this of hearing all the news, and conversing once
more in one's native tongue, was as pleasing and
refreshing as it was unexpected.

The stranger turned out to be a setder in
Matabeleland, by name Simpson, owning a farm
at Figtree, who had taken it into his head to
break the monotony of his pastoral calling by
making a trip to the Zambezi, where he told
me he intended buying up large numbers of
goats from the Batonga, and returning with
them to Bulawayo, where he expected to realise
a high price, as there were scarcely any left in
the country.

Since the largest goat I had seen or heard of
among the natives of the Upper Zambezi was
little larger than a hare, I suggested he had

358

SIMPSON AND WALSH

been misinformed, and Teared he was going on
a wild-goose chase.

Then it transpired that his sole means of trans-
port was a waggon drawn by sixteen donkeys,
which was a few hundred yards behind, and was
being brought on by a companion of his named
Walsh. Now sixteen donkeys will pull nearly as
much as sixteen oxen on a hard road, but in sand
such as has already been described it is to be
doubted if they could so much as move a waggon
in one or two places — this is where the weight of
the ox comes in.

Being convinced that nothing but disaster and
loss could result from Simpson's plans, I ventured
strongly to recommend his return home ; more
especially as he would have to trek through the
worst part of the desert for about eighty miles
without water, as owing to the severe drought
the vleys were all but dry when I passed, and
would be quite dry by the time he reached
them.

A short time after, Walsh, a good-looking old
Irishman, with white hair and long beard, came
in with the donkeys. Almost the first thing
he said was, ** Lor*, what a job I have had to
get those donkeys through that sand. It has
taken an hour to travel 800 yards."

** I have not seen the * belts ' in front," I said ;
**but Bagley, of Pendamatenka, told me that
when I reached here I only had two small * belts '

3S9

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

to go through which would give me no trouble,
so you can imagine what you have in front of
you.

They soon decided to abandon their plans and
return to Figtree.

Thus it is probable this timely meeting saved
these two a very troublesome experience, if not
worse; but to myself the accident of falling in
with them was even more of a godsend, inas-
much as it almost to a certainty saved me from
a sudden and violent death.

As has been mentioned my intention was to
trek straight to Bulawayo, but news they gave
me caused a change of plans.

The cattle disease, which had for some months
been reported as devastating the Zambezi dis-
tricts, had shown itself in the neighbourhood of
Bulawayo on or about the 4th of March, just
before the two settlers started on their desert
venture.

The epidemic could not reach Menu, where
the Tati road branches off from that leading
to Bulawayo, by the time I arrived there, so I
might yet outflank it by hurrying on to Tati.
Thus this piece of information must have saved
me from running into the very hot-bed of the
rebellion.

On the 24th of March — three days earlier —
the first murders of white men had been com-
mitted, and on that very day men, women,

360

SIMPSON'S GENEROSITY

and children were being ruthlessly murdered
and mutilated.

Simpson insisted on my accepting sufficient
meal and tobacco to last as far as the Monarch
Reef Mines, which would probably take ten
days. I was extremely grateful for this act
of good fellowship — the fact of such being a
rule among British colonists speaks volumes for
those who are steadily and certainly building up
and consolidating Imperial Britain. Bread I had
only been without for a fortnight, but tobacco
had given out six months ago, and I venture
to assure those who not only do not smoke
themselves but disapprove of the habit among
their fellow-men that I felt none the better for
the deprivation, and at times much the worse.

In the evening we parted, and in doing so
Simpson generously volunteered the assurance
that if a message were sent back to him to
the effect that my oxen had failed me he would
off-load his waggon, leave his goods in charge of
the chief Menu, and take my things through
to Tati for me.

That night the oxen did not seem to feel

the weight of the cart on the hard road after the

two sand belts referred to above were passed.

They went along in fine style, covering eighteen

miles in seven hours, more than twice the

distance they could have gone through the desert

in the same time. During one trek either one of

361

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

the oxen or Lecharu, who led them, had a narrow
escape from a puff-adder. Just in time to stop,
the boy noticed the snake lying in the centre
of the track. On it being pointed out I returned
to the cart for the 12-bore, and approached
the reptile, which showed no intention of retreat-
ing, but evidently realising that my presence
indicated no very friendly motive he turned his
head towards me and hissed defiandy — next
moment the venomous brute was harmless.
This was the second occasion since leaving the
Zambezi on which a puff-adder had thus disputed
my right of way. This reluctance to move
makes the puff-adder more dangerous than most
snakes, for there is always a danger of treading
on him. Unlike most of his kind he can only
"strike" backwards, and then only to the distance
of half his own length. It is popularly supposed
among hunters and others in South Africa that
this snake reproduces its species in a curious and
unique manner. When the young within the
female snake are ready to make their advent into
the outer world, it is said they eat their way
through the flanks of their unhappy mother, with
the result that they become orphans a few hours
later. This, scientific naturalists at home tell me,
cannot be the case.

A heavy shower of rain on the 30th made the
track on the mopani flats, through which the

road passed, very muddy and dirty. The next

362

OXEN LOST FOR TWO AND A HALF DAYS

night while Pony was leading the oxen he ran
the cart into a small narrow stream bed that
crossed the road, which had an impossible bank
four feet high and almost perpendicular, up
which the oxen were powerless to move the cart,
especially since the greasy nature of the ground
denied them a foothold. By the time the bank
had been cut away the oxen had "struck," and
absolutely refused to pull, so they were out-
spanned and Lecharu was told off to look after
them and bring them back in about three hours.
In the meantime the cart was off-loaded, as the
unsound wheel looked as if it might succumb at
any moment to extra strain. The oxen, however,
were not forthcoming when sent for, nor were
either they or the boy seen till two and a half
days afterwards, when on looking round there
they were among the bushes, and near them
Lecharu sitting on his haunches about sixty
yards from me, looking very unhappy indeed,
and no doubt expecting a severe talking to or
a more practical notification of his master s dis-
pleasure. He must have been disappointed, for
the sudden dissipation of what might have been
an awkward predicament, as notified by the re-
appearance of the oxen, reacted on the anxious
mood I had been thrown into by their absence ;
besides, even if no higher sentiment than fear
to return without them had impelled him to dp
so, he had none the less wandered about for two

363

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

and a half days without food, fire, or blanket
Thus, after he had confessed that he fell asleep,
that the oxen wandered in search of grass, and
that he had followed them ever since, he was sent
away to a good round meal uncensured. After-
wards it transpired that the delay of three days
occasioned by this incident must have saved my
life, for it just gave time for a Matabele impi
to clear out of the Bulilima villages in front
before my arrival there, which they did to join
in the concentration round Bulawayo ; murdering
a trader before leaving.

And so on the 3rd of April the journey was
recontinued.

Early on the morning of the 5th the native
town of the chief Menu was reached, and there
the day was spent, this being the first village
between the Zambezi and Bulawayo. A message
arrived from the chief asking me not to inspan
before he had seen me.

Towards three o'clock a very old, almost blind
man greeted me, whom his people told me was
Menu. He commenced talking about the Mata-
bele killing white men, and said something about
Lobengula and his impis, but to tell the truth I
took little notice of what he said, since my
acquaintance with the Makalaka dialect was " nil "
and merely confined to such words as were
common to it and Sesuto, of which language
mine is only a very imperfect knowledge.

364

FRIENDLY WARNINGS MISCONSTRUED

As a white man, the people north of the
Zambezi — especially the Matoka — had so fre-
quently expressed their gratitude to me as being
one of the nation who had ** wiped out" the
Matabele and thus given them peace and security
such as they had never before known — poor
creatures ! — that I jumped to the conclusion that
this friendly old chief was alluding to the late
war and recounting events connected with it.
And so at four o'clock I ordered the boys to
inspan, little realising that old Menu had been
spending an hour and all the eloquence of his
language in an abortive attempt to save me from
what seemed to him to be certain death. The
extraordinary thing is that neither Pony nor
Lecharu attempted to emphasise the danger of
the situation.

So for two days I trekked through a series
of native villages ; another chief came out from
his stockade and harangued me excitedly and in
hurried tones — ^so hurriedly that only occasional
words such as ** Matabele," " Lobengula," and
"killing" were all I could catch. Had Loben-
gula's name not been so inseparably mixed up
with the whole harangue, suspicions of the actual
state of affairs would no doubt have been aroused ;
but although twelve months before I was by
no means certain that Lobengula had departed
this life, the Zambezi people had quite convinced
me that he was no more ; and in consequence my
mind still ran on the events of the past.

365

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

With the orders of the chief three men pre-
ceded the cart until well past the next village, as
I thought to show the road ; for this I thanked
them and they left

The track was very faint ; Lecharu had been
sent back to look for a blanket which had fallen
from the cart, and Pony was leading the oxen —
and of course he led them off the spoor. Dis-
covering this I left him with the team, and
describing a circle ultimately discovered the
road. It so happened my return to the cart
was from the direction opposite to that taken
when leaving it.

On approach, the boy Pony was to be seen
rummaging in the forecase — my private provision
box — in the act of pillaging my scanty supply.
His back was towards me, and before he sus-
pected my presence, he was held firmly by the
scruff of the neck. This was the third time he
had been caught thieving ; once he had been let
off with a reprimand, the second time a mere
charge of the value of the meal, etc., stolen was
charged against his pay, and now he was at it
again, in spite of the fact that during the whole
journey he had been served out with as much
corn — the natives staple article of food — as he
could eat. I had never chastised a native in my
life, but the boy evidently required something
more than a mere verbal show of disapprobation,
and he got it in the shape of some half a dozen
useful applications with the ** sjambok."

366

THE MATABELE IN ARMS

The cart was turned and just moving off for
the road, when to my surprise Simpson and
Walsh with three natives carrying loads appeared
on the scene.

They greeted me warmly.

" I am delighted to find you all right," Simpson
said. **We never dreamed of seeing you alive.
Old Menu told us you could not possibly get
through those villages alive."

** Why, what is the matter?" was the natural
question.

** Have not you heard ? Menu said he had
told you all about it. The Matabele have risen,
they are in arms all over the country, and have
murdered white men and their wives and children
wholesale."

Then, of course, the true meaning of the
harangues I had heard dawned on me for the
first time.

**That accounts, then, for the excitement I
noticed at times in the villages, and for all the
talk about Matabeles which Menu and another
chief treated me to. I quite thought they were
talking about the 1893 war."

"Well, by Jove," added one of them, **you
are devilish lucky to have come through those
villages with a whole skin. We left our waggon
and oxen with Menu, and he gave us guides to
lead us through the bush, nor would they allow us
to travel by day or light a fire."

367

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

Then Simpson went on to say :

**We could not understand how you came to
be so mad as to go on, for Menu said that he
told you all about the rising, and that you were
bound to be killed if you went on, but all you did
was to smile and tell the boys to bring up the
oxen ; he said you were the most peculiar white
man he had ever seen."

And so I must have appeared !

It then transpired that all the Matabele living
in the Bulilima villages had left for Bulawayo just
before I arrived, and that orders had been given
to Menu and the other chiefs by the Matabele,
that if they failed to kill any white men who
came down the road, both they and all their people
would be " wiped out."

Then came the natural question :

** What do you propose doing now ? '*

The natural answer was :

** As I have got so far, I mean to stick to the
cart and oxen, and trek hard" There was only
one more village to pass, and it was arranged we
should travel together and keep our rifles handy.
Walsh s rifle had been stolen, so he carried my
i6-bore and I a Mannlicher. We came to the
conclusion that in the event of emergencies, we
would not leave this world without an escort.

368

CHAPTER XX.

ON the morning of the following day, the
8th, after having trekked some eighteen
miles, a serious, though long-expected accident
occurred.

The near wheel of the cart, which the maker
had thought fit to construct of green wood, had
only been kept together so far by wedging and
wetting. While passing over a small stream
bed the whole weight of the cart was suddenly
thrown on to the unsound wheel, which with a
crunching noise was next moment doubled under
the vehicle with every spoke broken.

It is fortunate this accident had not occurred
earlier, for, as it was, the Monarch Reef Mines
were only sixty-three miles away, and it was
decided the only thing to do was to take the
wheel there, have it repaired, and bring it back
again. The cart was soon unloaded, and the
goods piled up in the bush and covered with
the tent. Then, after considerable difficulty, the
wheel was removed, though several of the
spokes had to be hacked away first. A sleigh
was then cut, and what remained of the broken
2 B 369

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

wheel lashed to it with ''riems," and to this the
trek chain was attached.

Simpson was beginning to regret having
abandoned his waggon, and mentioned his in-
tention of returning and bringing it through.
Walsh, on the other hand, did not consider the
chances of getting the waggon past the villages
worth the risk, and expressed his intention of
accompanying me to the " Monarch," so it was
finally arranged that the former should remain
with my goods and Pony for about three days,
during which time he would learn from friendly
natives whether the rebellion was as serious as
the old chief. Menu, had said, or whether it was
exaggerated as we suspected. According to the
information he should receive, he would either
await my return or go back for his cart

So in the afternoon the oxen were inspanned,
and a start made for the " Monarch " mines.

Four Matabele warriors — whom we afterwards
learned to be spies — passed in a great hurry.
On being hailed they made a short halt, and
from them we elicited the discouraging infor-
mation that **all the oxen were dead at the
•Monarch* and sick at Mangwato."

No time was lost, as a single day might mean
the loss of the stranded goods ; thus two days
sufficed to bring us to within six miles of the
mines. There Lecharu was left with the oxen,
and Walsh walked with me into **camp."

370

THE COMFORTS OF CIVILISATION ONCE MORE

On approach it was seen that the place was
prepared for emergencies ; sand-bags were piled
up on the gear, and a couple of sentries com-
manded a view of the country for about a mile
round

It was very pleasant to be among one's fellow-
countrymen once more, to hear all the news, to
sit down to a table for meals, and to sleep in
a comfortable bed.

Mr. Jones, the manager of the mines, placed
a room at my disposal, and treated me with
true hospitality during my short stay. After a
good tub and an excellent dinner we discussed
many topics over a bottle of excellent ** Beaune,"
which went down as though it were doing me
a world of good.

The murder roll of the whites was put down
then at about 200, and from what could be
gleaned, Bulawayo was invested, and the in-
habitants had all their work cut out to keep the
rebels at arm's length. In these circumstances
I considered it my duty to offer my services to
Mr. Duncan, the acting administrator, requesting
that an answer be sent to Tati, though it must
be confessed that, wreck as I was, and nearly
two and a half stone under normal weight, I
felt much more inclined to hurry home. The
rinderpest had been raging for about three
weeks, having spread from Tati, so that when
my start was made from the Zambezi this sweep-

371

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

ing disease was north, south, east, and west of
me, the only untainted district being a narrow
strip 400 miles long, through which the route
south lay. On the following morning the wheel
was brought in and handed over to the Com-
pany's wheelwright This was the first occasion
on which the oxen had been right into the
infected area, where cattle were dead and dying
everywhere. On the 14th the wheel was re-
paired, and the return journey commenced.

My friends at the mines were confident that
my goods would not be found, as the nearest
villagers even in peace times were notorious for
their thieving propensities, and it was the people
of this very village who murdered the trader
before my arrival. The shade of odds in favour
of a looted camp was put down at a million to
a '* monkey." However, I had brought in and
handed over to the safe custody of Mr. Jones
maps, diaries, and photographs, so that the
scientific results of the expedition would not be
wasted at all events.

On the 1 6th I was agreeably surprised on
arrival to find everything precisely as it had
been left. Pony told me that Simpson had left
two days before, having gone back to Menu to
get his cart. The next day the cart was again
loaded up, and by four p.m. was once more
moving southwards, and in the early morning of
the following day but one was safe at the mines.

372

PONY DESERTS

I breakfasted with my friends, and started
off for Tati shortly afterwards. Two of the
oxen, I was told, already showed signs of
disease, and might or might not last till Tati
was reached!

The next day Pony lost the oxen for the
second time within three days. On the previous
occasion he had deliberately hidden himself in
the bush within a hundred yards of camp, and
instead of herding the oxen had slept all day,
with the result that Lecharu had to follow their
spoor for several miles before they were re-
covered. It was of supreme importance that
such delays should not recur, else there would
be little chance of reaching Palapye before the
disease broke out in the team, so I reminded
this most hopeless of boys that he had had
one taste of the " sjambok '* already, and diat
if he repeated his conduct he should have a
second. It was not till evening that Lecharu
brought the missing animals in ; but Pony I
have neither seen nor heard of from that day
to this, so it is to be presumed he preferred
deserting to running the risks of his well-earned
chastisement.

While trekking that evening I met Mr. Drake,
an old elephant hunter, at present in the service
of the Tati Concessions Company as ranger,
who at that time was watching the borders of
the Company's territory with, the aid of native

373

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

scouts. His spies had reported that a large
Matabele impi had camped on the previous
night about twenty -eight miles away, though
he did not anticipate that they had designs on
Tati, but rather that they were on the look-
out for outlying herds of cattle.

At ten o'clock the same evening, when about
four miles from Tati, a waggon was passed —
outspanned and deserted save for the presence
of a single dog tied to one of the wheels.

When a few hundred yards beyond, a white
man hailed me as he approached the cart.

" Did you hear the firing ? " he asked.

" No."

"Three or four volleys were fired in the
direction of Tati," he continued, " and were
followed by independent firing. The Matabele
must be attacking the place."

" But Matabele do not attack at this time of
night. Surely there must be some mistake."

No, they were perfectly certain.

In the meantime four other white men put in
an appearance ; and as all were equally certain
that what they had heard was firing, I turned
the cart into the bush, and tied the oxen about
300 yards from the track, deciding that if there
was no more firing immediately before sunrise
— the time the Matabele almost invariably
choose for attack — I would inspan and trek
straight into TatL

374

ARRIVAL AT TATI

And SO it was that the sun rose next morning
unheralded by the din of battle, so that in an
hour and a half the cart was outspanned near
the hotel at Tati. There I found old friends
and new ones, and spent the whole day among
them.

Though all so-called rinderpest symptoms had
disappeared, one of the oxen was so done up
with the trying work of the past month that he
certainly did not look equal to trekking a further
1 20 miles to Palapye. Some empty waggons,
however, were to leave Tati for that town the
next evening, so arrangements were made with
the owner that should my cart come to a stand-
still the goods should be taken on by their
drivers.

I soon learned the cause of the previous
night's scare.

It appeared that a man — ''person," perhaps,
would be a less inappropriate term — whose name
by reason of his pitiable cowardice and sub-
sequent dishonour will long be a byword in
South Africa, was leaving Tati for the south by
post -cart A few young men, anxious to take
a "rise** out of this unfortunate creature, con-
spired to perpetrate a practical joke on him,
which for various reasons had much better have
been left unplayed.

The post-cart was waylaid about half a mile
outside Tati, when revolvers were blazed off

375

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

right and left for the benefit of the unhappy
inmate.

The post-cart next before this one had also,
though in a different manner, been the cause of
considerable excitement before and amusement
after its arrival at Tati. A telegram had arrived
from Bulawayo, notifying the fact that there were
no vacant seats for would-be travellers from Tad,
as fifteen women and children had left for Mafe-
king.

It was with intense interest that the men of
Tati awaited the arrival of this singular bevy of
beauty, for the fair sex is very much out-
numbered in these parts. Imagine their feelings
of disappointment when the post-horn, having
forewarned the inhabitants of the cart's approach,
and caused them with one accord to congregate
at the hotel for the purpose of welcoming the
fair women of Bulawayo, instead of those, from
the top and from inside, eleven Jews, three
women, and one child stepped to the ground!
Truly the fighting instincts of the tribe of Judah
are not what they were in the days of Canaan !

Towards lo p.m. the oxen were once more
inspanned.

The day but one after leaving Tati my atten-
tion was drawn to a koodoo yearling standing
behind a scrubby bush on the very edge of the
track. The oxen were pulled up alongside the
poor brute, which was soon seen to be suffering

THE JOURNEY FINISHED

from rinderpest, nor did the animal go away till
startled by the crack of the whip as the oxen
were once more started, but had allowed me in
the meantime to examine him from a distance of
six feet.

Nothing of interest occurred during that last
trek of 1 20 miles. It was a most unpleasant
journey, but was completed in under five days,
when in the early morning of Sunday, the 26th,
the oxen were outspanned at the Lotsani Drift
All along that road the putrefying carcases of
oxen were strewn, and especially thickly round
the few waters. It was indeed a pitiful sight,
but the smell, which was something more than
that emitted from mere decomposing flesh, was
more indescribably and disgustingly repulsive
than can be imagined; through night and day
it was always there, and only varied in degree.

It was necessary before entering the town with
oxen to get an order from the Resident Com-
missioner, so I decided to walk into Palapye and
see that gentleman — Mr. Ashburnham — who
was also a personal friend. With him was Mr.
Sydney Vintcent, the assistant magistrate and
right-hand man to the Resident, who was also
an old friend, and with characteristic kindness
insisted on my staying with him while in Palapye.
It is needless to say how thoroughly the rest,
comfort, and good fellowship I enjoyed for some-
thing over a week was appreciated. Full of

377

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

fever and far below normal weight on arrival,
I left feeling quite fit and already a few pounds
heavier.

The next day, borrowing a horse, I rode down
to the drift to bring on the cart One ox had
at last given out and was unable to rise, poor
brute! There was no sign of rinderpest on
him, so there was no reason why he should not
recover, consequently he was handed over as a
present to the Bechuanaland Border Police
corporal stationed at the drift I was glad to
hear a few days later from him that he was
doing well.

The loss of this ox when within four or five
miles of my destination served to impress on
my mind how impossible it would have been
to bring the cart through the desert sands had
the loss of a single ox occurred earlier in the
journey, for the four from the gallant little team
that brought everything into Messrs. Whiteley,
Walker & Co. s yard on the 27th of April could
scarcely move the cart at the end of even that
short trek, which completed a journey of 3700
miles since the oxen were first inspanned the
previous April — a daily average of ten miles
throughout.

By the time my trophies and other effects were
packed into cases two posts had arrived from
Bulawayo, but no acknowledgment of the letter
offering my services had arrived from Mr.

378

FINALE

Duncan, the Acting Administrator, so, accepting
the natural conclusion, I took a seat in the down-
country post-cart with a view to catching the
ill-fated Drummond Castle, which in ordinary
circumstances I should have done ; fortunately,
however, the Arundel Castle had been delayed
two or three days at Mauritius, and I secured
the last available berth in that ship.

And so ended an extremely interesting, if
somewhat hard, experience, which though not
overflowing with exciting episodes and blood-
curdling escapes, at times would seem to have
brought me within measurable distance of a
final settlement which would at least have saved
the writer a few months* hard labour with pen and
ink, and the reader the somewhat crude result
Some may credit me with having had much
luck, others may recognise in many instances
the guiding power of Providence. For myself,
I cannot close these lines without paying tribute
to that unseen Power which would seem to
protect and guide even an individual who strives
to do his best — however imperfectly that may be
— in the work which circumstances have imposed
on him.

379

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331

IWMtl Si

G.Fhxbp St,Sart,Xonjijan»itLi»9rf^^^

APPENDIX I.

THE COUNTRY: ITS CHARACTER, CLIMATE,

AND PROSPECTS.

THE foregoing pages will, no doubt, serve to dis-
sipate some of the illusions bearing on the
character of Marotseland — or the dependencies of
Liwanika, king of the Marotse and subject tribes —
which the reports of some who have visited the river
districts have conjured up in the minds of many.

For my own part, I may say, I had formed quite a
wrong conception of the true nature of the country,
prior to my wanderings in it I had been led to expect
an expanse of low-lying swamps teeming with game
and reeking with malaria of the most malignant type,
so unanimous were the traders and others who had
visited the Upper Zambezi, from whom I had sought
information, in their condemnation of the climate. One
gentleman, for instance, who had spent a few weeks on
the flats lying between Kazung^la and Sesheke,
solemnly assured me, on hearing my intention to spend
the rainy season on the high ground which I assumed
to exist in the interior, that, in his opinion, I would find
no high ground, but a flat and swampy country covered
in places with acacia and mopani bush. In fact, because
in the limited district he had visited he had seen
naught else, he concluded that in a country three or
four times the size of England nothing else existed.

381

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

This by no means uncommon tendency to judge the
whole by a part, evidently accounts for the bad
character so universally given to the Upper 2^ambezi
district whenever this country comes under discussion,
either in the Settlements or by the camp-fires of " up
country" — South Africa.

The kings of the Marotse, while by no means averse
to receiving visits and the accompanying presents from
white men, have always kept the traveller to the river
route, nor have they allowed missionaries to establish
themselves in the interior until, quite recently, after
two years' delay and much importunity, the late Mr.
Buckenham obtained leave to erect a station on the
borders of the Mashikolumbwe country. In consequence
nothing was known of the country beyond a very few
miles from the banks of the Zambezi, which like all
other tropical rivers is at certain times of the year
infested with fever.

At Lialui the mission station stands on a "white
ant" mound in the midst of swamps. At Sesheke,
Kazungula, and Nalolo, a stone can be thrown into
the river from the missionary's door. Is it then to be
wondered at that those who dwell therein for ten years
continuously are martyrs to malaria ; that a large per-
centage of the adults and nearly all the children
succumb to the ravages of river fever ; and that others
carry south with them the impress of suffering and
disease, thereby giving colour to the prevailing opinion
of the country from which they hail ?

It is to be hoped for the sake of its workers that the
Paris Missionary Society will hasten to establish a
mission in some healthy district — as for instance on the
Matoka plateau, where there is not only a field for work
but where the station could be utilized as a sanatorium

382

APPENDIX L

for the sick and a harbour of refuge for the children. I
imagine Liwanika would no longer oppose such a
scheme, and feel sure much valuable life would thereby
be saved.

In so large a tract the surface of the country varies
considerably, as might be expected.

The Matoka and Mashikolumbwe occupy distinctly
superior districts to those inhabited by their western
fellow subjects. High above the swamps of the Lower
Umgwezi and the Kafukwe huge plateaux rise to a
height of 4000 feet and upwards. These are broken,
well watered, and picturesque. In the open valleys of
the numerous rivulets which intersect the forest the
soil is rich and productive, the air is bracing and the
temperature is comparatively low, seldom exceeding
95** Fahr, in summer, or 85® in winter, while the nights
are cool throughout the year. In places the broken,
rocky nature of the ground is suggestive of possible
mineral wealth.

The Matoka are industrious, and will make useful
and willing servants. The Mashikolumbwe are lazy,
and will probably prove not only useless, but trouble-
some.

Some of the main rivers in both these countries
characteristically resemble the typical South African
river — clean-cut banks, sandy beds, occasional pools in
the dry season, and torrents of water during the rains.
Others have a continuous flow of water throughout the
year, and as a rule wind through open grass-covered
valleys. To the west of a longitudinal line running
approximately from the Kwando-Zambezi confluence
northwards to the southern Kafukwe watershed, and as
far as the Zambezi and the A^arotse Plain on the east,
the character of the country is quite different Undula-

383

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

tions of white sand roll, as it were, from N.W. to S.E. ;
these are covered with trees — for the most part non-
deciduous — growing to a height of thirty or forty feet,
and offering welcome shade to the traveller. Except in
the immediate vicinity of the Zambezi the acada and
mopani are seldom met with in this western section of
the country. The Lui, Lumbi, and Njoko flowing in
an almost south-westerly direction through wide, rich
valleys drain this district, and carry running water
almost from their sources throughout the year. So well
watered is this part of Africa, that during my journey
along the watershed of these rivers at the very end of
the dry season I never travelled twelve miles without
striking some pan or rivulet containing good water.

The valleys through which these rivers and their
tributaries flow are covered with an excellent pasture
retaining its succulence throughout the year, the surface
of the ground being dry in the winter and swampy in
the summer season, when they become favourite breed-
ing grounds for large numbers of geese, duck, teal, and
other water-fowl.

Though no rice is grown by the natives, these valleys
are admirably adapted for its cultivation, and are also
capable of supplying winter pasture for considerable
herds of cattle. The difference between the condition
of the Marotse cattle at the end of the dry season, and
that of those in South Africa, where the late winter
pasture is dr>' and unnutritious to a degree, is most
noticeable.

The Marotse cattle are very similar, both in size and
appearance, to those possessed by the Bechuanas, and in
all probability are descended from the herds brought
with him by Sebitwane, the Makololo conqueror, when he
invaded the country early in the century. The cattle of

384

APPfiNDlX L

the Matoka and Mashikolumbwe are, on the contrary,
very small, in some instances not exceeding thirty-six
inches at the shoulder. Prior to the subjection of these
tribes by the Marotse, the latter made frequent raids into
their neighbour's territory, and thus became possessed
of large numbers of these pigmy cattle. The result of
this introduction of the smaller breed has done much
to spoil the size of the larger, and has given to many
herds a very uneven appearance.

The goats and sheep found throughout the country
are pigmy counterparts of the native breeds of South
Africa, where the sheep grow hair in the place of wool,
and carry abnormally large and fat tails, which are
much valued by the wielder of the frying-pan.

The natives cultivate patches of ground in the vicinity
of their villages, generally choosing the rich river valleys
alluded to above. Mealies, sorghum, and a small seed
known in the country as nibele-bele are the principal
cereals cultivated, while cassava, monkey-nuts, pump-
kins, water-melons, marrows, and a species of cucumber
are also grown. So far as soil, altitude, and climate are
concerned the country is capable of producing wheat,
oats, cofTee, india-rubber, many kinds of fruit, rice,
and other agricultural products. Unfortunately, the
marvellous productive power of the soil is severely
discounted by the depredations of locusts, which since
1890 have done considerable damage to native crops.
In fact, in 1894 and 1895 whole districts were entirely
deprived of their harvests, with the result that the
people had to depend for livelihood on fish, roots, and
game. In 1896, however, disease showed itself among
the locusts, and the harvest was abundant ; so that had
there been railway communication between the Zambezi
and Bulawayo — a distance of only 400 miles — in the
2 c 385

feXPLORAtlON AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

early months of that year — as it is to be hoped there
will be in the near future — thousands of bushels of com
could have been imported into Matabeleland, and thus
one of the principal causes of trouble during that
unfortunate period would have been removed.

Drought, the curse of South Africa, would appear to
be rare in these northern Zambezi districts. In fact,
M. Coillard, who has carefully observed the rainfall on
the river for many years, informed me that at has not
varied more than a point from thirty-four inches in any
one year during his long residence of over twenty years
in the country.

Iron and copper are worked by the natives, but
although, I imagine, gold will be found in certain
districts, I refrain from asserting its existence, as I am
no expert in the science of mineralogy. However,
though the finding of gold is without doubt the most
powerful stimulant for present colonial enterprise, the
fact should not be ignored that future progress and
development are more closely connected with the agfri-
cultural than the mining industry. I am assured that
every sovereign's worth of gold turned out on the Rand
costs about twenty-two shillings. Some make fortunes,
others do not.

The climatic influences north of the Zambezi are so
different from those south, where a drought frequently
affects the plateau from the river to its southern
boundary, that the future South African Empire may
yet have reason to be grateful that Marotseland forms
part of it, if only as a food-supplying country in times
when famine or scarcity prevails in the south.

Politically speaking, the prospects of the country are
encouraging, and it is to be hoped British influence and
rule will be established over Liwanika's wide empire, in

386

APPENDIX 1.

as bloodless a manner as has been the case in Khama's
country, and that it will never be found expedient to
embark on a native war, as has unfortunately been found
necessary so frequently during the progress of coloniza-
tion in South Africa.

Sometimes, no doubt, maladministration, but more
generally, I imagine, misunderstanding between the
native population and the local governing power, is
the direct cause of friction.

It is, at least, dangerous to attempt to rule the
African during the first stages of civilization on the
same lines as Europeans. On the one side we have a
civilized and cultured people ; on the other a primitive
people, in no way capable as yet of entertaining the
higher sentiments of mankind. To " inspan " a team of
African buffaloes, and expect them to perform the func-
tions of the domestic ox, seems to me just as reasonable
as the supposition that the African native can take his
place side by side on equal terms with the superior race
for at least ten or twelve generations. One law^ no
doubt, is all that is required, but it is necessary at times
to apply it differently to the two races, in order to
attain the object for which it exists in each case, />.,
order and security of person and property.

In governing native tribes, which are new to the
white man's yoke, and who at the same time largely
outnumber him, their susceptibilities should be taken
into account, and their system of government should
be utilized — of course under proper control — and not
obliterated. It is because Great Britain, more than any
other nation, recognizes these principles, that she has
been so much more successful than others as a coloniz-
ing power, and when she or her deputies have failed in
these considerations, trouble has invariably ensued, as

387

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

might be expected. People whose travels have been
confined to the civilized world are very apt to assume
that all native races in the far interior are stark-naked
savages— or nearly so — little better than the beasts they
prey upon, devoid of intelligence, sense of justice, or
self-respect True, the native's intelligence does not
soar to higher mathematics or the learned sciences, but
he is uncommonly shrewd in affairs of everyday life,
and is quite capable of taking care of himself in matters
of trade; his sense of justice too often stops with
himself, but it is there all the same. The upper classes
have a great idea of their own dignity, and in many
instances their grace of movement and courteous
demeanour could be borrowed with advantage to them-
selves by some white men, whose pretensions are not
the least part of their social acquirements. Few tribes
in Africa have had less intercourse with white men than
the inhabitants of Marotseland, and yet the reader who
has had the perseverance to wade through these pages
may have noticed that they are not altogether uncivilized,
that they possess an unwritten constitution, a system of
government, and a society with its classes and masses —
a king, royal family, aristocracy, and various popular
grades. When, therefore, I say that to govern success-
fully such a country as this, native susceptibilities should
be taken into account, it must not be forgotten that
Africans look on their king with a respect and awe
almost amounting to worship, therefore considerable tact
should be used in dealing with him ; for, apart from the
fact that he has real rights which cannot in justice be
ignored, his friendship means co-operation — his hostility
obstruction at least. Liwanika is very favourably dis-
posed towards Englishmen, and his reverence for the
"Great White Queen" is the respect of a native

388

APPENDIX I.

potentate for a ruler whom he looks upon as the greatest
and most powerful sovereign in the world It must,
however, be confessed that his mind has become some-
what unsettled of late through two causes.

Firstly, he was led to suppose — ^not by the manage-
ment of the British South Africa Company, but by
a gentleman who was sent to make a treaty on their
behalf— that he was dealing directly with the Queen,
whom he had previously invited to assume a pro«
tectorate over his country, as he feared Portuguese
encroachments. A treaty was concluded, and two
handsome tusks were sent by him as a present to his
newly-acknowledged suzerain. Liwanika considered he
had been deceived when he found he had been dealing
with the Company and not the Queen, and was angry.
This was the subject of one of his conversations with
me. I did my best — and think was to some extent
successful — to explain the vastness of the Queen's
dominions, and the impossibility of Her Majesty being
able to govern such an empire herself, therefore she
appoints subjects — chiefs among her people — to govern
countries in her name, and the Chartered Company
were deputed to look after him and his country, subject
to the control of the Queen's government

Secondly, the not very discreet entry into the country
of a party of prospectors in 1895, to which previous
allusion has been made, had created a very unfavour-
able impression among all classes. One or two such
cases, if repeated, would certainly lead to armed resist-
ance, though now that the Company has wisely sent Mr.
Coryndon to Borotse with magisterial powers there is
little chance of a recurrence of such deplorable conduct,
which fortunately at most is very*rare. When I was
at Sesheke a Marotse chief, in alluding to this case,

389

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

remarked, "If when white men come into this country
one should raise his arm to strike me, he would die, even
though I should die after him."

To illustrate the advantage of utilizing existing
native systems of government instead of tearing down
the old structure before the materials are ready to
build a fresh one in its place, no better instance could
be adopted than that of the country under discussion.
Imagine a country as large as the German Empire
with a scattered population dependent for inter-com-
munication on nothing more rapid than their own
legs, or, where the river passes, on canoes. At present
Liwanika, the paramount chief, rules the whole, and
under him two princesses — a sister and a niece — and
his son Latia govern large provinces. The provinces
are in their turn divided into districts presided over
by chiefs, to whom lesser chiefs are directly responsible.
Every individual is either a chief or a slave, and in
many instances slaves own slaves. My hunter, Madzi-
mani, for instance, was the slave of a Sesheke chief,
but, though a slave, he owned and ruled a large village
which only indirectly belonged to his chief. A slave
is not necessarily interfered with by his chief, but owes
him fealty, nor can he leave his district without his
owner's permission or his orders. It is the feudal
system of the Middle Ages over again ; protection
and the right to exist are bought by personal service
or payment in kind if, and when, required. Thus it
will be seen that an order from Liwanika, when trans-
mitted through this official channel, can be known to
every one of his subjects in an incredibly short space
of time, for native runners travel quickly. So, likewise,
he can lay his hand on anyone he will by the simple
process of intimating his wish to the governor of a

390

APPENDIX I.

province, who communicates with a chief, and he with
a sub-chief, and so on, till the meanest slave can be
brought to book. Thus, in this case, if the king co-
operates with the Company's administrator the native
population is in absolute control, and no servant dare
rob, steal, or desert his master. Once, however, make
an enemy of the king and break the power of his
chiefs, and what is the result? The whole system
crumbles and popular organization gives place to an
irresponsible and incongruous mass of human beings,
who can and will thieve or desert at their own sweet
wills, aided and abetted by their fellows.

Unfortunately, at the present moment, the frontier
of Liwanika's possessions is in dispute, as between
the Portuguese and ourselves. The Portuguese claim
as far as the Zambezi from the west, and if successful
in their demands would deprive the Marotse ruler of
all the country lying between the Kwando and the
main river, which includes part of Borotse proper,
and the greater part of Bosubia, which belonged to
this black empire at the time of Livingstone's visit,
and is indeed the oldest of the Marotse possessions.
Naturally, Liwanika would resent the alienation of this
slice of his country. Further north his claims are less
real, yet there is proof that not many years ago his
suzerainty was acknowledged as far north as the
Congo-Zambezi watershed, though only by the fact
that on the appointment of a chief a deputation waited
on the Marotse king to obtain his sanction. Lately
the Portuguese have become very active in those parts,
and news arrives that a chief, over whose country
Liwanika claims suzerainty, refuses to acknowledge
that claim. This, no doubt, will be a difficult point
for our Foreign Office to settle, for the repudiation

391

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

may be the result of Portuguese present influence.
Those who are interested in the future of this country
naturally look forward with a certain amount of anxiety
to the settlement of the frontier.

Liwanika's feelings on the subject are well expressed
in a recent utterance which was transmitted to Europe
by post a short time back — " If the Queen gives any
of my country to the Portuguese, I will fight the
Portuguese."

While not an advocate for depriving the Portuguese
of any territory they can rightfully claim, having a
view to their system of colonization I should be sorry
to see them in possession of a single yard of Africa
over which they cannot establish a right Let those
who think otherwise read the latter part of Commander
Cameron's Across Africa^ in which that plucky traveller
describes the scenes of which he was an unwilling
witness when travelling along the northern boundary
of this very country with a "Portuguese" caravan.
True, I believe the white Portuguese — though they
frequently own slaves — are only indirectly responsible
for the fiendish cruelties perpetrated by their half-caste
or black hirelings and proUg^Sy but they know what
goes on under their flag, nor do they raise a finger to
prevent these barbarities.

When I visited Lialui a Portuguese trader of
European origin had established a camp near the
town. This gentleman arrived on the scene some
weeks previously at the head of a large rabble of
servants and slaves from the coast

He told Liwanika he had come to buy slaves, but
received the reply, " I have none to sell you ; I no
longer buy and sell people."

Next he asked for leave to go among the semi-

392

APPENDIX I.

dependent tribes in the north that he might "trade
with them for cattle." But Liwanika knew perfectly
well what this meant and refused permission. So the
Portuguese trader had perforce to enter into legitimate
trade in cattle with the king as the only alternative
to returning whence he came with his trading stuffs
untouched. This incident shows that the European
Portuguese is not above personally commanding a
slave-dealing expedition — conducted, no doubt, on more
humane principles than those adopted by the spurious
offspring of his forefathers; it also suggests the fact
that there is no inclination to abolish this nefarious
practice in Portuguese colonies, even if any evidence
were required in this direction.

393

APPENDIX II.

BIG GAME AND ITS DISTRIBUTION.

IN the main the same species of big game are to be
found in the Marotse empire as those distributed
over the vast area commonly spoken of as Central
South Africa. There are, however, a few notable
exceptions — certain South African antelopes are un-
known north of the Zambezi, while that river and
its affluent, the Kwando, form a boundary to the
habitat of a few species of Central African game.

Why in some instances a certain species of big
g^me is to be encountered on one side of a landmark,
offering no obstacle to migration, but never on the
other, even when the country on either side is similar
in vegetation, character, and climate, is an interesting
but inexplicable fact ; but when such a river as the
Zambezi cuts off communication with a never ceasing
flow of deep water for hundreds of miles, and acts
as a natural boundary to districts in many respects
dissimilar, a change in the character of the fauna is
to be expected.

In this case the Kwando, which flows into the
Zambezi from the west, where the main river com-
mences its easterly course, and thus forms with it
a latitudinal barrier, shares with the parent stream
the right to say to certain species, "So far and no
farther."

394

APPENDIX II.

Thus the ostrich, gemsbuck {jOryx gazella), bushbuck
(Tragelaphus scriptus\ red hartebeest {BubcUis caafna\
and — though I cannot speak with absolute certainty
in the case of this latter — the bushpig are not to be met
with north of the Kwando-Zambezi line, while north of
the Kwando, but not east or north of the Zambezi,
the giraffe and tsessebe — the latter in large numbers —
are to be found. So, too, north of the Kwando-Zambezi
boundary, and on both sides of the Upper Zambezi, the
swampy districts carry large numbers of pookoo and
lechwe, which latter is also to be found at Lake N'gami.
Two antelopes which are also found in South Africa,
but in districts remote from the country under dis-
cussion, must be included among the fauna of Marotse-
land — Lichenstein's hartebeest {B. lichensteini), which
inhabits Gungunhama's country and the Fungwe district,
is very plentiful in the Matoka and Mashikolumbwe
countries, and its habitat extends as far as the Zambezi
on the west and south, but not beyond that river. The
other, the Situtunga, which is also found in the reeds
fringing Lake N'gami, has its home in the river reeds
of Borotse and the Sesheke Flats.

So far as I can judge from my own experience, and
from the cross-examination of natives, the following
is probably a complete list, with the principal haunts
of each of the big game to be found in Marotseland
(by which is meant the country governed by the king
of the Marotse) from 15' south lat to where bounded
on the south by the Kwando and Zambezi rivers.

Elephant {Elephas africanus). Now becoming scarce,
though herds still exist in the neighbourhood of the
Lusu and Katima Molilo Rapids on the Zambezi and
in the north-east

Rhinoceros {Rhinoceros bicomis). Very scarce.

39S

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

GirafTe {Giraffa canuloparcUUis). Found between the
Kwando and Zambezi only, and there not plentifuL

Hippopotamus {Hippopotamus amphibius\ Very
plentiful in the Zambezi, Kwando, and Kafukwe, and
is also to be found in the smaller tributaries, such as
the Lui, Lumbi, Njoko, and Machili.

Crocodile. All rivers infested by these reptiles.

Buffalo {Bos caffd). Fairly plentiful in most districts^
especially between the Zambezi and Kwando rivers.

Warthog {Phacochoerus africanus\ Common through-
out the country.

Zebra {Equus burchelli van chapmant). Very com-
mon in all game districts.

Lion {Felis leo). Can be heard most nights in game
districts.

Leopard {Felts pardus). Spoor frequently encountered.

Cheetah {Cyncelurus jubatus). Seldom seen. Skins
in possession of natives not nearly so common as those
of Felis pardus.

Serval {Felis serval). With the civet quite the com-
monest cat in the country, though the lynx and other
species of the smaller cat are to be found.

Black-backed jackals are numerous, though I have
never seen even the skin of a silver, or any other jackal
in the possession of natives.

Hyaena {Hycena crocuta). Very plentiful, and impu-
dently aggressive.

ANTELOPES

Eland {Oreas canna var. livingstonei). Nowhere very
common, but fairly well distributed.

Koodoo {Strepsiceros kudu). Saw no signs of this
antelope west of the Zambezi ; and, according to native
report, does not exist there. It is to be seen, however,

396

APPENDIX II.

on the broken left-hand banks, in the neighbourhood of
the rapids, but is more plentiful on the Matoka and
Mashikolumbwe plateaux.

Sable Antelope {Hippotragus ntger). More generally
met with between Kwando and Zambezi rivers, but is
also found in Matoka and Mashikolumbwe countries.

Roan Antelope {Hippotragus equvtus). Same habitat
as the sable.

Wildebeest {Connochcetes taurinus and C Ljohnstont).
The commonest antelope in the district Many indivi-
duals among these wildebeest are identical with the blue
wildebeest of South Africa. The foreheads of others
vary from dark brown to light fawn, one I shot had
in addition a white blaze across the black, about mid-
way between horn and muzzle; some again show a
similar blaze of fawn, and others a few light-coloured
hairs only in the same place. More lately a specimen
with the white blaze has been brought to England from
Nyassaland, been classified as a new sub-species, and
named C, t. johnstoni. As all the above degrees of
colouring are to be seen in the same herd, I am at
a loss to know where the new sub-species begins and
where C. t, typicus ends.

Lichenstein's hartebeest (Bubalis lichensteini). Not
found on the Zambezi above Sesheke, but is common
in the eastern and northern districts.

Waterbuck {Cobus ellipsiprymnus). Is very common
on the high broken ground, through which the Upper
Umgwezi flows, and other parts of the Matoka plateau ;
also plentiful on some of the Kafukwe tributaries.

Pookoo {Cobus vardoni). Very plentiful on the
Zambezi from Kazungula to the Gronye Falls, and
for some few miles up some of the tributary rivers ;
also on the Kwando and Kafukwe rivers.

397

,t<

t>-'-

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

Lechwe (Cobus leche). Found in large herds on the
Sesheke Flats and the lower reaches of the Njoko and
Lumbi rivers. Were at one time plentiful in Borotse,
but have been materially reduced in numbers by the
natives. I saw no signs of this antelope on those parts
of the Kafukwe I visited, but imagine they must exist
on that river, which in places is eminently suited to
their habits.

Situtung^ {Tragelaphus spekei). Inhabits the reed-
beds of Borotse and the Sesheke Flats which this
antelope never quits until driven out by the floods
towards the end of the wet season. It is fairly plenti-
ful in these two districts, but is never seen until
compelled to leave its natural covert by the swelling
river.

Reedbuck {Cervicapra arundinum). Common on the
Zambezi, Kafukwe, and most rivers and swamps.

Pallah {^/Epyceros melampus) Especially numerous
on the Zambezi from the Manyekanza Rapids to the
Lumbi-Zambezi confluence, is also to be found in most
districts where the ground is suited to its habits.

Oribi {Ourebia scoparta). Common throughout

Duiker {Cephalophus gritntnt). Evenly distributed
throughout, though nowhere so numerous as in South
Africa.

Steinbuck {Raphicerus campestris). Like the duiker,
A may be met with in most places, but is even less
^( plentiful.

<V Grysbuck {Raphicerus melanotisy Fairly plentiful

throughout

Klipspringer {Oreotragus saltator). Exists, but is
rare. The only two I saw were on the Upper
Umgwezi. Though I climbed several hills in the
Mashikolumbwe country I saw no trace of this active

398

APPENDIX II.

little antelope ; yet, probably, they find a home in some
of the numerous hills in that country. The greater part
of Marotseland is not suited to their habits.

The foregoing notes apply to g^me as it was up to
the end of 1895. Since then the rinderpest has played
havoc with it ; and, if native report can be relied on in
this matter, has almost swept all ruminants away in
most districts. What I myself saw at the beginning
of 1896, during my return from Mashikolumbweland,
inclines me to the belief that in this case the natives
have not found much room for exaggeration. Buffalo,
eland, and koodoo were more particularly affected, but
all other antelopes down to the little steinbuck were
decimated to a greater or lesser extent. Sad, indeed, it
is to reflect that at best all these grand animals can
never regain their former numbers, for many natives
now carry firearms, and white men will shortly flock into
the country as they have done into Matabeleland and
Mashonaland As long as I live I shall never forget the
quantity and variety of animal life among which I have
had the good fortune to live in one or two districts — and
most of them as tame and unsuspicious as are herds of
deer in the safe security of an English park. What
a glorious time a certain type of "sportsman" could
have had here ! — he could have killed and wasted six or
more every day, and wounded thrice that number,
retiring to rest feeling quite pleased with himself! But
so far as Marotseland is concerned this cruel disease has
taken a leaf out of his book — he has delayed too long.

399

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

AUTHOR'S BAG.

2 Hippopotami.

8 Buffaloes.

3 Lions.

2 Hyaenas.
7 Zebras.

6 Warthogs.

3 Elands.

2 Koodoos.

3 Sable Antelopes.
2 Roan Antelopes.

{Wildebeests (C. taurinus).
„ {C. t johnstoni).

9 Lichenstein's Hartebeests.

1 Tsessebe.

3 Waterbucks.
9 Pookoos.

4 Lechwes.

7 Reedbucks.
12 Pallahs.
3 Oribis.
6 Duikers.

2 Steinbucks
I Grysbuck.

1 Serval.

2 Jackals.

2 Crocodiles.*

* A few others not collected.

400

INDEX

AntSf Red^ voracity of, 268 ; eat live Guinea fowls, 327 ; a missiooar/s
experience with, 328.

AskdumAam, Afr,, 377.

Bagl^ and Kerr^ Messrs, f meet them on their way to Lialui, 343 ; adieu
to, 354.

Babhtnu and BucUnham^ Messrs. ^ outrage on by Mokwai of Marotse,
105 and se^, ; mission founded on Nkala River, 230 ; reach the
mission station, 233 ; illness of Buckenham fiunily, 233 ; leave station,
238 ; return to, 301 ; death of Elsie Buckenham, 301 ; depredations
of a lion, 301 ; death of Mr. Buckenham, 317.

BamangwatOf characteristics of, 7.

••Af*," 154, 163.

Birtrtmd^ Captain^ meet him returning to Kasungula, 98.

BigmUt M<ms.t 146.

Bisi viilaget arrive at, 324.

Biggame^ the true criterion of a bag, 34 ; how not to find, 196 ; total bag
made on trip, 352.

BoiUau^ Mom. and Mdme.^ at Kazungula, 338 ; fiurewell visit to, 351.

Borotse pkan^ reached in lat. 16** 15* S. 93.

^^Bcyst** natural mendacity of, 49; disobedience of^ 58; enormous appetite
for meat, and consequences, 74, 78 ; more disobedience, 80-2 ; sub-
mission of rebellious, 86; subsequent good conduct of, 87 ; difficulties
with sick, 211, 214; gluttony of, 227; reluse to enter Boshikolumbwe,
238 ; more troubles with, 242 and seq, ; desert a sick comrade, 243 ;
find the sick man, 244 ; more dawdling, 246 ; desertions of, 246 ; five
only remain, 248 ; frighten deserters away, 248 ; anxiety concerning
Mskcumba and Letangu, 260 ; their reappearance, 261 ; mischievous
reports by deserters, 325, 333 ; sick comrade deserted, recovered, 326
and stq, ; Mashikolumbwe desert with trophies, 332 ; rewards to
recoverers of property, 333 ; good marches t>y, 337 ; disappearance
and return of " Pony/* 357; *vPony " caught steaOng, 366 ; " Pony"
loses oxen and deserts, 373.

BMiawayo, choose road thither from Wadm, 356; change plans on hearing
of rinderpest there, 36a

2D 401

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

BufaU^ conduct of wounded bull, 35 ; bae a cow by misUke, 35 ; bag a
buU, 26; probable fiite of wounded Dull, 26; kill anodier, 17 ; a
hunt after in reeds, 40 ; common error in drawing profile of i«f €tj^
40 ; charged by a cow, 90 ; following wounded, 92 and seq,

**Buskman^^ offers drive wounded buffido, 41 ; claims eland meat finxn
finders, 50; instigator of disobedience, 8i.

Ctnmony^ elaborate greeting between natives, 45 ; among the Marotae, 131.

Chii/s, Native^ the secret of dealing with them, 373.

Christmas on the Matoka plateau, 219, 225.

Clcikistgoi Marotse, 132.

Caiilardt Mfms., 147; endeavours dissuade author from Kfashikdumbwe
journey, 209.

Com/ass, natives' superstitious respect for, 254.

CffTHy difficulty of procuring at Sesheke, 38; none obtainable at Sioma, 85;
camp to collect meat in defiuilt, 88.

Crocpdile^ pick up living remains of fish seized by, 43 ; throwing diildren
to, a ro^ pastime, 116 ; shooting them at Seshdce, 116 ; eggs oo the
Kasaia River, 195.

D.
David^ Mom,t 146.

Dtserticn of boys compels author to leave bovs camped on Musa River, and
make expedition to Kaiyngu, 250-1 ; ot boys, 246 ; fri^ten desoters
away, 248; of Masfiikolumbwe boys with trophies, 332; of
••Pony," 373.

Draki, Mr,^ meet, and receive more news of Matabele, 374.

Drummond CastUy just miss the, 378.

DyunUry^ attacked by when trying to get boys for journey into Mashiko-
himbwe country, 208 ; begin to regain strength on hig^ ground, S15.

Edzumbi^ villages in Boshikolumbwe, 254.

Eimndf stalk and wound in twilight, 46 ; long diase after, 47 ; killed by
a lion, and meat secured by native women, ^ ; ^ot a cow with good
horns near Edzumbe, 257 ; head-akin spoilea b^ porter, 259^

Elepktmts^ spoor near Mosela-na-Ndimba Rapids, 42 ; a hunt after, 59.

EhMTt and Prici^ Missrs,^ poisoned by Marotse, 193.

Engimetring^ NoHoi^ bridging the flooded Nantchs 231.

K
FamhM^ victims of, 72.

Fire^ use of flint to obtain, by Mankoya tribe, 115.

Fishing Nits of the Marotse, loi.

Fish-spearing by the Marotse, 123-4.

Forest beyond Nkala River, 24a

402

INDEX

G.
Gin^$f a hunt after, 38.

Gmt^v Rap'ds and Fatts^ portage of j} mfles, 79 ; dtllude of| 3300 feet
above tea level, 83.

Gcy^ Mem, and Mdtm,^ 91 Mons. Go/s troitbles with Motcwai of

Sesheke, 189$ death of Mons., his ezoellcDt work, 35a
Gninga Fowl^ specimens eaten alive by red ants, 337.

Hartebcest^ a long, stem chase, 176; bag a cow with fnmsiial fiiee-
markings, 307.

Hartebetst^ LuAenstMst found mingled with herds of other species, 69 ;

kill four out of a herd, 2a7 1 kill a bull with *' Blaster Kaiyngu," 372.
Bippepotamtu^ kill twc^ 6| measurements of the huger. 8; at dose

quarters with, 7a ; wgers to canoes from, 76 ; wound and losc^ 97.
Hd Springs^ visit to, near Musanana on Kafukwe River« 304.

Hurhsiatu^ Frtdirick^ joined by, at Kaiungnla for joumey to Peodama-

tenka, 1961
ffjfottas^ a long chase after, ao, 3i.

J.
JaUa^ Mms. Adoipk^ 146.

JaUa^ Mem. and Mdau, LmUs^ 146 ; meet them on theif ymy home, ao9.

Jawmm Raid^ FfiBt news of, 344.

Jtms^ flight from Bulawayo, 376.

Kafyngu^ desertion by portions compels leaving goods with sick boys,
and seek assistance from, 350-1 ; Edsumbe chief provides boys to
accompany author to, 3^9 ; reception by, 363 ; his nunily, 366 ; pre-
ference in the matter of joints, 373 ; not to be hidulged, 374 ; a visit
from, 375; schemes to detain author, 379, 390; a trip northward
from, 381 and stq, ; return tOj 388 ; discover him in douUe dealing,
and prepare to leave, 390 ; adieu to, 393.

Kafnkwe Rwer^ at Kaiyngu, 367.

Kalahari Desert^ 2 ; the journey bade with one Scotch cart and six oxen,
353 ; on Gaxuma flats, 354 ; a hard trek, 3SS S collapse of boys, 355 ;
remedies, 356.

Kande River ^ camp on the, 171.

Katanga^ camp near, 39.

Kaiima MelHo Rapids^ reached, 43.

Kwrnngnla^ arrival at, 196 ; scenery on the Zambed here, 303 ; reached
on return journey, 337.

Kkama and Sekome, 3491

Xeedoot hunt after spoiled by a wildebeest, 67 ; kill a cow by mistake,
333 ; a bull mauled by a lion, 334 ; curious encounter with a rinder-
pest-smitten, 377.

AesJkam^ Rkter^ source readied, 174.

Kwando River^ oonflueooe with Zambed, 3; hitherto known as Cbobe
River, 3.

403

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

L.
LtngtuigtdL Marotse, 133.

LaHa^ soo of Liwanikm, 3; eta^pe from Marotse with his fiOher liwanika,
118; visit to OD return jonmqr, and report boys' mifoondoct, 339; he
promises ponishmcnt, 340 ; fiuewell to, 35i«

Lukmet loll two rams, 68 ; a lodcy shot at, 71.

UaluL, arrival at, no; chief town of Borotae, 133; visit the mission, 146;
the king's kraal, 148; noctnmal visit of **a dog," 153; native visitors,
154 ; longitude as determined by Livingstone and the author, 188.

Uomtt a disappointment, 19 ; nig^t visit of a lion, 26 ; visit the missioo
station at Sesheke nightly, 36; preparations to receive, 36; an
adventure with five, 53-6 ; measurements of lion and lioness, 57 ;
a tragedy, 213 ; depredations at Nkala mission station, 301 ; his
method of attick, jai ; list of his victims, 303 ; visits the station,
and kills an ox, 308; an unsnooessfiil attempt to bag at n^fat, 309
and i«f.; succeed next day, 314; measurements, 315 ; carcase eaten
by Mashikolumbwe, 317.

Lwingstone^ geognqphical work in Borotse, 164.

Ltwoftika, paramount diief of BCarotse, 3 ; strange letter from, 97 ; reply
to, 98 ; his commendable attitude towards Bfr. Baldwin, loj) ; how he
came to the throne, 117 ; his cruelties, 117 ; escape from his subjects,
118; re-establishes his power with Portiu^nese anl, 119; return, and
reformation of character, 119 ; extent of ms dominion and anthority,
119-ao; as a wood-carver, 135; as a husband, 148; visit falm at
Lialui, 149 ; the palace furniture, 150 ; hb explanation of the letter,
151 ; complaint of American prospectors, 15a; provides aooommo*
dation, 153 ; anxious to know the Queen's views about bun, 156 ;
unprindpled white traders dismissed the country by, 160; approves
mapping his territory, 163 ; offers an escort, ivj ; d^ws an outline
map of country, 168 ; fiurewell to, 170 ; his despatch to Sekome, 348.

Loanje River^ 189.

Locusts^ depredations of, in the Sesheke district, 38.

Lobengula^ his conduct when wounded, la

Lotsani Drifts outspan at, 377.

Lui River ^ camp on the, 172.

Lumbi RHfer^ camp at confluence with Zambesi, 79 ; reach source of^ 17

Lush Rapids^ beauty oi^ 6a

Luwcuwa River f source reached, 174.

Lnyaba River^ 183.

Mahunda^ conquered by the Makololo, 113 ; their industries, 135.

Madximanif the hunter, 12 ; his merits, 20, 23 ; his method of dealing

with an obstinate native, 33.

Makololo, conquest of the Marotse and other tribes by, iii ; expnlsioo of
by Marotse, 115.

Makwenga^ 136.

Mambova Rt^ids on Zambesi, arrival at, 4.

AfO'fMockisatu^ Sebitwane's daughter succeeds Um and abdicates, 114.

ManAoya, arms of, 124; use flint to get fire, 125; country and people, 142
and se^,

404

INDEX

AfttHHlUkir RiJUt effect of a shot, 59 ; oenetnUion of bullet, 68, 320 ;
author's method of preparing bullet, 09.

Afanyekanza Rapids^ camp above, 43 ; tracks of game near, 45,

Marotse^ land of the, i ; sites of villages and gardens, 94 ; bearing and
manners, 95-6; conquest by Makololo, 113; expel Makololo, 115;
physique o^ 120 ; crops, 120 ; cattle, 122 ; canoes and paddles, 123 ;
arms, 124; modes of fishing, 124; domestic architecture, 124; seek
safety on islands, 126; punishment of witchcraft, 127-8; use of
tobacco and snuff, 128-9; ornaments, 129; ''sanctuary" for criminals,
129; social usages, 130; religious belief 130; ceremonial, 131;
clothing, 132; language, 133; character, 133; wood-carving, 134;
forced labour system, 192 ; end of travel in the country, 351.

Marundumgoma River ^ 251.

Mashikolumbwe^ canoes on Kafukwe River, 123 ; arms of, 123 ; country
and character of people, head-dress of men, treatment of teeth, 144 ;
preparations to explore country, 206; Mr. F. C. Selous* and Dr.
Hoiub's experience of, 235-6 ; leave property at Nkala, 236 ; boys'
refusal to proceed compels change of plans, 237; reach villages of
Edxumbe, 2C4 ; unprepossessing people, 255 ; effects of prospects of
meat on, 2^8 ; catUe, 264 ; musical performance, 265 ; laaness of,
268; desertion by and theft of boys, 290; author's opinion of the, 317.

Masubia^ characteristics of, 7 ; subdued by Makololo, 11 1 ; country and
people, 137 ; as hunters, 138-9.

Matabele Risings accidental escape from hotbed of rebellion, 360 ; loss of
oxen saves author from encountering impi, 364; warning misconstrued
and ignored, 365 ; murders, 360, 371 ; volunteer services, 371 ; more
news of, from Mr. Drake, 374 ; practical joke on a coward, 376.

** Matlakalaf** the headman provided by Liwanika, sick, 179; anxious to
return home, 180 ; disobedience of, 182 ; more trouble with, 186; get
even with, 187.

Maiutela^ conq^uered by the Makololo, 113; as iron workers, 136; as
canoe builders, 137 ; physique and appearance, 137 ; a smithy, 184 ;
on the Matoka plateau, 215 ; character of country, 217.

Maioka Plateau^ reached, 215; left, 225; return to, 325; camp on
highest point, 326; rinderpest on, 326.

Matoka^ country and people, 139; raid on and butchery of, by Matabele, 141.

Maiingu River^ 174.

Mbolcfwa^ brother of Sebitwane, rules Marotse three months, 114.

Meaty thefts at critical stage of journey, 321.

MissumarieSy outrage on by Mokwai of Marotse, 105 and seq, ; hospitality
of and achievements uv Zambezi missionaries, 161 and seq, ; poisoning
of Messrs. Elmore ana Price, 193.

Mokwaiy of Marotse, her position, character, and crimes, 99; visit to, 102;
her return call, X03 ; her outrage on Messrs. Baldwin ioA Bnckenham,
105 and seq, ; her account of the matter, and Liwanika's opinion of
her conduct, 109.

Mokwai f of Sesheke, viat to, 10; her appearance and residence, 11;
promises of aid, 12 ; her bad conduct towards Mons. Goy, 189.

Monarch Reef Mines , start for, 370 ; preparations for attack at, 371.

405

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

\ 174.

PCKSiodt Slut MMi fof old ciwp si conoBCBoc €■ Hjoico
aad RiipiiBpi RtvcOs iSj.

ilUSrW, cntioM oandwl << S^; bitten by a mk^ an; aeM froM
kiuynpi to fcBeve Miat CHsp, 375; he Mb to ictBm, 989; de-
tained bf Edmnbe diie<; 994; kit a^un on Bwdi, 295; prabibij

Mmsamama^ bot springi near, yxi ; a eiaspine diie^ 30$.

Musa Rwtr^ afflacnt of Kafidcvc^ 141 ; leafc cnq> with ack bof^ ss> S
Katyngv reports his messengen cannot find. 275; MaBphi deipaiAr^
375 ; pot pcesnre on KaijngB to bring in cfleOs firoas caa^i on, J90S
desoted and robbed by boys on tbe naicb back tob 996 ;
cmp,997.

iKbiiSs aUtim^ airive at« 933; lainfidl, 334 (see Bddvia. ete.)|
U), 301 ; leaf<e fior Kasongala, 317.

il^Ui ^^RfTy crossed, 333.

NaMot arrire at, 96 ; leave, 103.

Namakmmgm Rwer^ 333.

Namg^mU Rimr^ 313.

NomfoU River ^ tribotaiy of the Macfaili, camp on, 335.

Natada River^ in flood, 331.

NgmanunmOf accession to Marotse throne, and defeat by Ltwanika, I17.

Niambe River, 179.

JV/eJh9 River, csmp at junction with Zamheii, 60; an expeditioo up on
foot, 61 ; number of tsetse fly on banks, 61.

O.
OriH, bsgged, 16, 17, 99.

Omanunis of the Marotse, 129.

Oxen, loss by starration, 202; difficulty of taldng across fiver, 90$, 341-t;
lose team for two and half days, 363 ; k)se again on way to Tati, 373.

Palapyet defective postal arrangements at, 343 ; start from Tati for, 377.

Pallah, bag one of a herd o^ 30; killed for the pot, 46; bag two
rams, 375.

Pettdamattftka, start for, vid Victoria Falls, 196; arrive to find fimune
pevailing, 302; leave for the Zamberi, 303; arrive at on way
oomt, 354.

Phaiograpky, stalk wildebeest and tsessebe with the camera, 17; take
poruon of herd of lecfawe, 194; '^fogged" plates, S7a

406

INDEX

Pkkering^s^ Mr, and Mrs,, mission station, 3x8; nude callert on-
welcome, 319.

PhoiTf irritating but interesting mancmivres of, 199.

Pookoo, vitality of, 18; a ram for the Mashikolnmbwe, 267; secure a
pair of horns i8t inches long.

I^ff Adder^ narrow escape of Lecham or oxen, 363.

Rampungu River, reach its junction with the Njoko, lat. z6* 42' S., 70 ;
return to this camp, i88.

Radhuck, kill a, 29 ; a pair of 15I inch horns, 71 ; kill two for meat, 79.

Religious Beliefs of Marotse, 13a

Reports, Naiivef^ require the most careful sifting, 335-6.

Rhodes, Mr. Cecil, i.

Rhinoceros, an unsuccessful chase, 59.

Rinderpest, effects on game, 318; deadly on the Matoka plateau, 326;
compels speedy travel, 329 ; loss of cattle in Sesheke district, 336 ;
push on to escape it, 337 ; attacks Latia*s cattle, 344 ; slaves level
m unlimited meat, 346 ; compels change of plans at most fortunate
juncture, 360; area affected, 372; terrible mortality among oxen
along Tati-Pkdapye Road, 377.

Roan Antelope, secure a good pair of horns, 47 ; a lucky long shot, 181.

Sable Antelope, kill one and wound another, 31 ; recover the latter, 32 ;
a large herd of, 32 ; bag a bull with a fine head, 201.

Sangina, becomes insubordhutte, 8a ; removed from post as headman, 87.

Sanctuary for Criminals, Marotse custom, 129.

5am River, camp on, 213.

Scavengers efthe Veldt, 65.

Scotch Cart, breaks down, and left, 369; brought in with load in safety, 372.

Sebitwane, chief of the Makololo, iii and seq»

Sejlefula River, crossed, 2x9.

Seheletu, son of Sebitwane, IX4.

SehomOt arrogant demands from Liwanika, 347 ; his parentage and appear-
tuice, 349 ; a meeting with Khama, 349.

Selous, Mr. F. C, Liwanika's regard for, 158.

Sepopo, accession to Marotse throne, 115 ; his brutalities, tx6; flight and
assassination, 117.

Served, killed and eaten by the boys, 2x3.

Sesheke, arrival at, 9 ; visit the " Mokwai '* or ruling princess, 10 ; com-
mercial instincts of natives of district, 17 ; return to after eight days'
sport, 34 ; lions haunt the mission station, ^6 ; fix latitude of^ 37 ;
leave agam, 38 $ return to from M'pancha Rirer-bed, 189 ; leave for
Kasnngula, 194 ; visit again, 345.

Semnga, villages fbonded by and called after, 832; a gntefome s^t
outside, 233.

407

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

AUTHOR'S BAG.

2 Hippopotami.

8 Buffaloes.

3 Lions.

2 Hyaenas.
7 Zebras.

6 Warthogs.

3 Elands.

2 Koodoos.

3 Sable Antelopes.
2 Roan Antelopes.

{Wildebeests (C. taurinus),
„ {C. t johnstoni),

9 Lichenstein's Hartebeests.

1 Tsessebe.

3 Waterbucks.
9 Pookoos.

4 Lechwes.

7 Reedbucks.
12 Pallahs.
3 Oribis.
6 Duikers.

2 Steinbucks
I Grysbuck.

1 Serval.

2 Jackals.

2 Crocodiles.*

* A few others not collected.

400

INDEX

AntSf Red, voracity of, 268; eat live Guinea fowls, 327; a missionary's
experience with, 328.

AskdumAam, Afr^t 377.

Bagl^ and Kerr^ Messrs. f meet them on their way to Lialtti, 343 ; adieu
to, 354.

Babhoiu and BucJUnAam, Messrs,, outrage on by Mokwai of Marotse,
105 and sef, ; mission founded on Nkala River, 230 ; reach the
mission station, 233 ; illness of Buckenham £Eunily, 233 ; leave station,
238 ; return to, 301 ; death of Elsie Buckenham, 301 ; depredations
of a lion, 301 ; death of Mr. Buckenham, 317.

Bamat^gwatOf characteristics of, 7.

••Aff," 154, 163.

Bertramd, Captain, meet him returning to Kasungula, 98.

Beguile, Mons.t 1461.

Bisi viiiage, arrive at, 324.

Biggamif the true criterion of a bag, 34 ; how not to find, 196 ; total bag
made on trip, 352.

BciUaUt Mom, and Mdme,, at Kazungula, 338 ; fiurewell visit to, 351.

Borotse plaint reached in lat. 16** 15* S. 93.

**Bcyst** natural mendacity of, 49; disobedience of^ 58; enormous appetite
for meat, and consequences, 74, 78 ; more disobedience, 80-2 ; sub-
mission of rebellious, 86; subsequent good conduct of, 87 ; difficulties
with sick, 211, 214; gluttony of, 227; reluse to enter Boshikolumbwe,
238 ; more troubles with, 242 and seq. ; desert a sick comrade, 243 ;
find the sick man, 24^ ; more dawdling, 246 ; desertions of, 246 ; five
only remain, 248 ; mghten deserters away, 248 ; anxiety concerning
Macumba and Letan^ 260 ; their reappoirance, 261 ; mischievous
reports by deserters, 325, 333 ; sick comrade deserted, recovered, 326
and seq, ; Mashikolumbwe desert with trophies, 332 ; rewards to
recoveren of property, 333 ; good marches t>y, 337 ; disappearance
and return of ** Pony,^ 357 ; •'Pony " cau^t steaOng, 366 ; " Pony "
loses oxen and deserts, 373.

Bnkmeg^, choose road thither from Wadm, 356; change jdans on hearing
of rinderpest there, 36a

2D 401

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

BuffaU^ conduct of wounded bull, 35 ; bae a cow by misuke» 35 ; bag a
bull, 26; probable finte of wotmded Dull, 26; kill anoUier, 17; a
hunt after in reeds, 40 ; common error in drawing profile of h^ tmffk^
ifi ; charged by a cow, 90 ; following wounded, 92 and stq,

^^Bushnum^ offers drive wounded buffalo, 41 ; claims eland meat from
finders, $0; instigator of disobedience, 81.

Ceretnony^ elaborate greeting between natives, 45 ; among the Marotse, 131.

Chii/Sj Native^ the secret of dealing with them, 373.

Christmas on the Matoka plateau, 219, 225.

Clothing oi Marotse, 132.

Coiltardt Moms.^ 147; endeavours dissuade author from Mashikolumbwe
journey, 209.

Omipass^ natives' superstitious respect for, 254.

Com^ difficulty of procuring at Sesheke, 38; none obtainable at Stoma, 85;
camp to collect meat in defimlt, 8&

CrocodiU, pick up living remains of fish seized by, 43 ; throwing children
to, a royal pastime, 1 16 ; shooting them at Seshdce, 1 16 ; eggs on the
Kasaia River, 195.

D.
David^ Mons.t 146.

Desertion of boys compels author to leave boys camped on Musa River, and
make expedition to Kaivngu, 250-1 ; of boys, 246 ; fri^teii deserters
away, 248; of Mashikolumbwe boys with trophies, 333; of
••Pony," 373.

Drako, Mr,y meet, and receive more news of Matabele, 374.

Drummond Castle^ just miss the, 378.

Dysenterv, attacked by when trying to get boys for joumev into Mashiko-
lumbwe country, 208 ; begin to regain strength on hi|^ ground, S15.

EdiUfnUf villages in Boshikolumbwe, 3^4.

E/mnd^ stalk and wound in twilight, 46 ; long chase after, 47 ; killed by
a lion, and meat secured by native women, 50 ; shot a cow with good
horns near Edsumbe, 357 ; head-skin spoiled by porter, 359^

EUphants^ spoor near Mosela-na-Ndimba Rapids, 42 ; a hunt after, 59.

Eimore and Price^ Messrs, ^ poisoned by Marotse, 193.

Engimeringt Native^ bridging the flooded Nansela, S31.

F.
Famine, victims of, 72.

Fire^ use of flint to obtain, by Mankoya tribe« 125.

Fishing Nets of the Marotse, loi.

Fish'spearittghf iht Marotse, 123-4.

Forest beyond Nkala River, 240.

402

INDEX

G.
Giraffit a hunt after, 38.

Gm^ Rapids and Faits^ portage of a) mfles, 79; dtllude of, 3300 feet
above tea level, 83.

Gcy^ Mom, and Mdms., 9; Mons. Gojr's troubles with Mdkwai of

Sesheke, 189 ; death of Mons., his excellent work, 35a
Guitiga Fowlf specimens eaten alive by red ants, 327.

Hartebeest^ a long, stem chase, 176; bag a cow with fnmsiial &ce-
markings, 307.

HartebusU Lkkcmtein^St found mingled with herds of other species, 69 ;
kill four out of a herd, 2a7 1 kill a buU with *' Master Kaiyngu/' 37a.

Hippop^amui^ kill two. 6; measurements of the larger, 8; at dose
quarters with, 73 ; dangers to canoes from, 76 ; wound and losc^ 97,
Sd Springs^ visit to, near Musanana on Kafukwe Rber, 304.

Hurlettom^ FruUrkk^ joined by, at Kaaungula for journey to Peadama-

tenka, 1961
i^ttnor, a long chase after, ao, ai.

J.
JoUa^ Mms. Adolpk. 146.

Jaila^ Mom, and Mdmi, Lmus^ 146 ; meet them on theif ^ny home, 309.

Jamoson Raid^ FfiBt news of, 344.

Joms^ flight from Bulawayo, 376.

KafyngUt desertion by portions compels leaving goods with sick boys,
and seek assistance from, 350-1 ; Edsumbe chief provides boys to
accompany author to, 359 ; reception by, 363 ; his nmily, 366 ; pre-
ference in the matter of joints, 273 ; not to bie indulged, 374 ; a visit
from, 375; schemes to detain author, 379, 390; a trip northward
from, 381 and seq, ; return to, 388 ; discover him in double dealing,
and prepare to leave, 390 ; adieu to, 393.

Kafukwe Rvoer^ at Kaiyngu, 267.

Kaiahari Desert^ 2 ; the journey back with one Scotch cart and six oxen,
353 ; on Gazuma flats, 354 ; a hard trek, 355 ; collapse of boys, 355 ;
remedies, 356.

Kande Rwer^ camp on the, 171.

Katanga^ camp near, 39.

Katinia Molilo Rapids^ reached, 43.

KoMungulaf arrival at, 196 ; scenery on the Zambesi here, 303 ; reached
on return journey, 337.

Kkama and Sekome, 3491

Koodoo^ hunt after spoiled by a wildebeest, 67 ; kill a cow by mistake,
333 ; a bull mauled by a lion, 334 ; curious encounter with a rinder-
pest-smitten, 377.

Koikatnjba Rkter^ source reached, 174.

Kwando Rivor, confluence with Zambesi, 3; hitherto known as Cbobe
River, 3.

403

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

L.
iMmgmagt of Marotse, 133.

LBiia^ SOD of Liwanika, 3 ; eieape from Marotse with his fiUher liwtiuka,
118 ; visit to on return journey, and report boys' misoondoct, 339 ; he
promises punishment, 340; mrewell to, 351.

Lukme^ kill two runs, 68 ; a lucky shot at, 71.

Lialuif arrival at, no; chief town of Borotae, 133; visit the mission, 146;
the king's kraal, 148; nocturnal visit of **a dog," 153; native visitors,
154 ; longitude as determined by Livingstone and the author, 188.

Uom, a disappointment, 19 ; night visit of a lion, 26 ; visit the missioo
station at Sesheke nightly, 36; preparations to receive, 36; an
adventure with five, 53-6; measurements of lion and lioness, 57 »
a tragedy, 213 ; depredations at Nkala mission station, 301 ; his
method of attiick, J02 ; list of his victims, 303 ; visits Uie station,
and kills an ox, 300 ; an unsuccessful attempt to bag at night, 309
and seq,% succeed next day, 314; measurements, 315; carcase eaten
by Mashikolumbwe, 317.

Livingstone^ geographical work in Borotse, 164.

Liwanika, paramount chief of Idarotse, 3 ; strange letter from» 97 ; reply
to, 98 ; his commendable attitude towards Mr. Baldwin, loj) ; how hie
came to the throne, 117 ; his cruelties, 117 ; escape from his subjects,
118; re-establishes his power with Portuguese anl, 119; return, and
r^rmation of character, 119; extent of his dominion and authority,
119-ao; as a wood-carver, 135; as a husband, 148; visit him at
Llalui, 149; the palace furniture, 150; his explanation of the letter,
151 ; complaint of American prospectors, 15a; provides accommo-
dation, 153; anxious to know the Queen's views about him, 156;
unprincipled white traden dismissed the country by, 160; approves
mapping his territory, 163 ; offers an escort, 167 ; ^ws an outline
map of country, 168 ; fiurewell to, 170 ; his despatch to Sekome, 348.

Loanje River^ 189.

Locusts^ depredations of, in the Sesheke district, 38.

Lcbengnia^ his conduct when wounded, la

Lotsani Drifts outspan at, 377.

Lui River, camp on the, 172.

Lumbi River, camp at confluence with Zambesi, 79 ; reach source of, 17

Lusu Rapids, beauty of, 6a

Luufouwa River, source reached, 174.

Luyaba River, 183.

Mahunda, conquered by the Makololo, 113 ; their industries, 135.
Madzimani, the hunter, 12 ; his merits, 20, 23 ; his method of dealing
with an obstinate native, 33.

Makololo, conquest of the Marotse and other tribes by, in ; expulsion of
by Marotse, 115.

Makwenga, 136.

Mambova Rapids on Zambesi, arrival at, 4.

Ma-mechisane, Sebitwane's daughter succeeds him and abdicates, 114.

Mankoya, arms of, 124; use flint to get fire, 125; country and people, 142
and seq,

404

INDEX

Mannlickir RiJU^ effect of a shot, 59 ; oenetration of bullet, 68, 320 ;
author's method of preparing bullet, 09.

Manyekanza Rapids^ camp above, 43 ; tracks of game near, 45.

Marotse, land of the, i ; sites of villages and gardens, 94 ; bearing and
manners, 95-6; conquest by Makololo, 113; expel Makololo, 115;
physique o^ 120 ; crops, 120 ; cattle, 122 ; canoes and paddles, 123 ;
arms, 124; modes of fishing, 124; domestic architecture, 124; seek
safety on islands, 126; punishment of witchcraft, 127-8; use of
tobacco and snuff, 128-9; ornaments, 129; ''sanctuary" for criminals,
129; social usages, 130; religious belief 130; ceremonial, 131;
clothing, 132 ; language, 133 ; character, 133 ; wood-carving, 134 ;
forced kbour system, 192 ; end of travel in the country, 351.

Marundumgonia River ^ 251.

Mashikolunibwe^ canoes on Kafukwe River, 123; arms of, 123; country
and character of people, head-dress of men, treatment of teeth, 144 ;
preparations to explore country, 206; Mr. F. C. Selous' and Dr.
Holub's experience of, 235-6 ; leave property at Nkala, 236 ; boys'
refusal to proceed compels change of plans, 237; reach villages of
Edzumbe, 2C4 ; unprepossessing people, 255 ; effects of prospects of
meat on, 2^8 ; cattle, 264 ; musical performance, 265 ; laziness of,
268; desertion by and theft of boys, 296; author's opinion of the, 317.

Afasubia^ characteristics of, 7 ; subdued by Makololo, 1 1 1 ; country and
people, 137 ; as hunters, 138-9.

Matabek Risings accidental escape from hotbed of rebellion, 360 ; loss of
oxen saves author from encountering impi, 364; warning misconstrued
and ignored, 365 ; murders, 360, 371 ; volunteer services, 371 ; more
news of, from Mr. Drake, 374 ; practical joke on a coward, 376.

*^ Matlakala^** the headman provided by Liwanika, sick, 179; anxious to
return home, x8o ; disobedience of, 182 ; more trouble with, 186; get
even with, 187. /-

MaitUeta^ conq^uered by the Makololo, 113; as iron workers, 136; as
canoe builders, 137 ; physique and appearance, 137 ; a smithy, 184;
on the Matoka plateau, 215 ; character of country, 217.

Maioka Plateau^ reached, 215; left, 225; return to, 325; camp on
highest point, 326; rinderpest on, 326.

Matokay country and people, 139; raid on and butchery of, by Matabele, 141.

Maiingu River ^ 174.

Mbolcfwa^ brother of Sebitwane, rules Marotse three months, 114.

Meaty thefb at critical stage of journey, 321.

MissicnarieSy outrage on by Mokwai of Marotse, 105 and seq, ; hospitality
of and achievements bv Zambezi missionaries, 161 and seq» ; poisoning
of Messrs* Elmore ana Price, 193.

Mokwaiy of Marotse, her position, character, and crimes, 99; visit to, IQ2;
her return call, 103 ; her outrage on Messrs. Baldwin uid Buckenham,
105 and seq, ; her account of the matter, and Liwanika's opinion of
her conduct, 109.

Mokwai^ of Sesheke, visit to, 10; her appearance and residence, 11 ;
promises of aid, 12 ; her bad conduct towards Mons. Goy, 189.

Monarch Reef Mines , start for, 370 ; preparations for attack at, 371.

405

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

Moamiigki, briUiancy ol» 46.
Moiomia Rwtf, 174.

ATpamka River reached, start from for old camp at oonflneDoe of Njdko

and RampuDgu RiTen, 183.
Mtta Rioer^ 3J5.

Mulhkif catttiotts conduct of, 56; bitten by a snake, aoa; tent from
kai3mgu to relieve Muia camp, 275; he fidls to return, 289; de-
tained bv Edcumbe chief, 294 ; lost again on march, 295 ; probably
murderea, 299.

Musatuma^ hot springs near, 303 ; a graspbg chief^ 305.

Musa Rhfir, affluent of Kafiikwe, 341 ; leave camp with sick boys, 2$i ;
Kaiyngu reports his messengers cannot find, 275 ; Muliphi despaldieda
275 ; put pressure on Kaiyngu to bring in eflrn^ from camp on, J90;
deserted and robbed by boys on the march back to, 296 ; ccadi the
camp, 297.

Music^ a Mashikolnmbwe pianist, 364.

Mmlm Mi$sicm^ arrive at, 233 ; lainfidl* 234 (see Baldwin* etc) f ictiini
to, 301 ; leave for Kamngida, 317.

Nhala Ristr^ crossed, 233.

Nahht arrive at, 98 ; leave, 103.

Namahuba HiOs^ 253.

Namakumgu River, 253.

Nangwmbe River, 213.

Nanyate River, tributary ci the Machili, camp on, 225.

Nameela River, in flood, 231.

Ngwanwitta, accession to Marotse throne, and defeat by Liwanika, 117.

Niambe River, 179.

Njeho River, camp at junction with Zambesi, 60; an expedition up on
foot, 61 ; number of tsetse fly on banks, 61.

O.
Oribi, bagged, 16, 17, 29.

Ornaments of the Marotse, 129.

Oxen, loss by starvation, 202; difiiculty of taldng across river, M, 341-2;
lose team for two and half days, 363 ; lose again on way to fiui, 273.

Palapye, defective postal arrangements at, 343 ; start from Tati for, 377.

Pallah, bag one of a herd of, 30; killed for the pot, 46; bag two
rams, 275.

PendamcUenka, start for, viA Victoria Falls, 196; arrive to find fiunine
prevailing, 202; leave for the Zamberi, 203; arrive at on way
home, 354.

Photography, stalk wildebeest and tsessebe with the camera, 17; take
portion of herd of lecfawe, 194; "fogged" plates, 27a

406

INDEX

Pickering* St Mr, and Mr$,y mission station, 318; nude calleni un-
weloome, 319.

Ple/ver^ irritating but interesting manosvvres of, 199.

Pookoot vitality of, 18 ; a ram for the Mashikolumbwe, 267 ; secure a
pair of horns i8i inches long.

Puff Adder^ narrow escape of Lecharu or oxen, 363.

RamffungH Rivtr^ reach its junction with the Njoko, lat. 16** 42' S., 70;
return to this camp, 188.

Reedlmcky kill a, 39 ; a pair of \^\ inch horns, 71 ; kill two for meat, 79.

Religious Beliefs of Marotse, 130.

Reports, Nattvei^ require the most careful sifting, 335-6.

Rhodes y Mr, Cecily i.

Rhinoceros, an unsuccessful chase, 59.

Rinderpest, effects on game, 318 ; deadly on the Matoka plateau, 326 ;
compels speedy travel, 329 ; loss of cattle in Sesheke district, 336 ;
push on to escape it, 337 ; attacks Latia*s cattle, 344 ; slaves revel
m unlimited meat, 346 ; compels change of plans at most fortunate
juncture, 360; area affected, 372; terrible mortality among oxen
along Tati-Palapye Road, 377.

Roan Antelope^ secure a good pair of horns, 47 ; a lucky long shot, 181.

Sable Antelote, kill one and wound another, 31 ; recover the latter, 32 ;
a large herd of, 32 ; bag a bull with a fine head, 201.

Sangina^ becomes insubordinate, 88 ; removed from post as headman, 87.

Sanctttary for CrimineUs, Marotse custom, 139.

Sara River, camp on, 213.

Scavengers of the Veldt, 65.

Scotch Cart, breaks down, and left, 369; brought in with load in safety, 372.

Sebiiwane, chief of the Makololo, III and seq,

Sejlefula River, crossed, 219.

Sekeletu, son of Sebitwane, 114.

Sekome, arrogant demands from Liwanika, 347 ; his parentage and appear-
ance, 349 ; a meeting with Khama, 349.

Selons, Mr, F, C, Liwanska's regard for, 158.

Sepopo, accession to Marotse throne, 115 ; his brutalities, 116; flight and
assassination, 117.

Seroal, killed and eaten by the boys, 213.

Sesheke, arrival at, 9 ; vidt the " Mokwai " or ruling princess, 10 ; com-
mercial instincts of natives of district, 17 ; return to after eight days'
sport, 34 ; lions haunt the mission station, ^ ; fix latitude of^ 37 ;
leave again, 38 ( return to from M'pancha Rnrer-bed, 189 ; leave for
Kacungttla, 194 ; visit again, 345.

Setimga, villages founded by and called after, 832; a gruesome sight
ouuide, 333.

407

EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA

SkoeSt last pair given out, 337.

Simpson ami fVa/sk, encountered on Kalahari desert, bound for Upper
Zambezi, 359 ; decide to return, 360 ; generosity of, 361 ; overtaken

by. 367.

Stoma, visited by the chiefr of, 84-5 ; no com in the district, 85.
Sacia/ Usage of Marotse, 130 and siq,

T.
Tamasamka, arrive at, 357.

To/f , trek for to try to escape rinderpest, 360 ; leave Monarch Reef Mines
for, 373 ; arrive at, 375 ; leave, 376.

Tobacco, use of by Marotse, 128; how used by Mashikolumbwe and
Mflunkoya, 284.

Tiosstbit bag a buU, 14.

Tsoisi Fly, numerous on Njoko River, 61 ; appearance, manners, and
methods, 62, 65 ; distnoution and effects of bite, 63, 64 ; on the
Matoka plateau, 225, 326; very numerous on low ground, 228.

Umgwen River, arrival on south bank, 210; cross the river, 211 ; different
aspect higher up, 330 ; game on the banks, 33a

V.
Victoria Falls, magnificence of the, 197.
Vistlcenfs, Mr, Sydney, hospitality at Palapye, 377.

W.
Wacha, arrive at, and leave for Bulawayo, 356.

^ctrthog, a good pair of tusks, 78 ; charged by wounded boar, 221 ; his
merits from a culinary standpoint, 222 ; bag a boar and sow, 277.

IVar scare in Sesheke district, 347.

IVcUer-lily, stems of, used for food, 88.

IVilcUbeesi, kill a bull, 15 ; difference between species of, 15 ; curiosity of,
16 ; secure a good pair of horns, 17 ; kill a spoil-sport, 68 ; a bull for
the Mashikolumbwe, 269.

IVilsof^s Party, massacre of^ la

Witchcrafts trial by ordeal among Marotse, and punishment, 127-8.

IVomcHf social status and value in Africa, 51 ; boys treatment of, 183 ;
compelled to perform field-work for Mokwai of Seshdce, 190;
brutality of superintending chiefe, 191.

Wood-carvings industry of Marotse, 134*

Zambetit scenery at confluence with Kwando River, 3 ; water-fowl on, 4 ;
rapids between Kazungula and Lialui do not compel portage of canoo,
42; Katima Molilo and Mosela-wa-Ndimba Rapios, 42; errors in
course on map, 44 ; return to main camp on, and proceed up, 73, 75 ;
fish of the upper, loi ; breadth at Kazungula, 204.

Zebra, Madzimani kills a wounded stallion, 23 ; kill two for meat, 249.

408

A CATALOGUE OF BOOKS

AND ANNOUNCEMENTS OF

METHUEN AND COMPANY

PUBLISHERS : LONDON

36 ESSEX STREET

W.C.

CONTENTS

rOKTNCOMINC BOOKS,

rOKTXY, ....

BBLLBS LBTTKCS, ANTHOLOCIBS,^BTC.,

ILLUSTKATBD BOOKS, .

MUTOKY, .....

BYZANTINE TSXTS,

BIOGRAPHY, ....

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SCIBNCK AND TBCHNOLOGY, .

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BOOKS POK BOYS AND GIRLS, .

THB PEACOCK LIBRARY,

ONIVERSITV EXTENSION SERIES,

SOCIAL QUESTIONS OP TO*DAY

CLASSICAL TRANSLATIONS

EDUCATIONAL BOOKS,

PAGE

M
IS

«5

«7
x8

ax
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a4
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a?
35
3S
36
37
37
38

OCTOBER 1899

OCTOBXR 1899.

Messrs. Methuen's

ANNOUNCEMENTS

■ m I

Travel and Adventure

THE HIGHEST ANDES. By E. A. FitzGerald. With
40 Illustrations, 10 of which are Photogravures, and a Large Map.
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Also, a Small Edition on Handmade Paper, limited to 50 Copies,

A narrative of the highest climb yet accomplished. The illustrations have beca
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THROUGH ASIA. By Sven HediNv With 300 Illustrations
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two volumes. RoycU %vo, 20s. net.
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it within the reach of buyers of moderate means.

THE CAROLINE ISLANDS By F. W. Christian. With
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THREE YEARS IN SAVAGE AFRICA. By Lionel Decle.
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A NEW RIDE TO KHIVA. By R. L. Jefferson. Illustrated

Crown Stw, 6s.

The account of an adventurous ride on a bicycle through Russia and the deserts of
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Poetry

PRESENTATION EDITIONS

BARRACK-ROOM BALLADS. By Rudyard Kipung.
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ENGLISH LYRICS. Selected and arranged by W. E.
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LYRA FRIVOLA. Bv A. D. GODLEY, M.A., Fellow of Mag-
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A little Yolume of occasional verse, chiefly academic.

Zhc WiotlKB of Sbafieepeate

General Editor, Edward Dowden, Litt. D.
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HAMLET. Edited by Edward Dowden, Demy Zvo. y, 6d.

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THE LETTERS OF ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON.
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THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF SIR JOHN EVERETT
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4 Messrs. Methuen's Announcements

onmber of Uttan to his wife describing the circomstances under iH^kh hit
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A CONSTITUTIONAL AND POLITICAL HISTORY OF
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Theology

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Sport

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THE ART AND PRACTICE OF HAWKING. By E. B.

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[Handbooks of Technology,

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Messrs. Methuen have in preparation an edition of those novels of Charles
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■ - ■ - -^
A2

lo Messrs. Methuen's Announcements

tTbe Xittle Xibtan^

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AN INTRODUCTION TO THE

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'There is searching analysu of hi
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THE TRANSLATION OF A

SAVAGE.
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THE SEATS OF THE MIGHTY.
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* A great book.'— ^Zac* and Whit*,

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' No one who takes a pleasure in literature
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' Nothing more vigorous or more human has
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CORBETT. Setoitd BdUion.

MISS ERIN. By M. E. FrakciS.
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SUCCESSORS TO THE TITLE.
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Messrs. Methubn's Catalogue

Ilu tn» humuitT

uuBnglr cITtctin, and apdoat >

9 hind. 'Hit book

l:.^;;^^'^!:-;

umonoi il» ; mth.

Author <rf ' Irish Idflls.'
Editim. Cnrum Bob, &i.
'Vivid and unEoUHTre
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plicitT

KORD, Author of '.

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bei>i>

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of RafllFi Ihi raourccfiil. juid folio.

hioi breutblislj in bis aitti.-~IVi^d.

JaiU BmIow. a creel OF IRISH

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■The

puriT ttcommend tbe book

4iIlinciT

ucheia;
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Althnr HoiTlMiL A CHILD OF I
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SON. Third Edition. Cr. 8w. 6i, '
■Tbc book ii > muiEipiecc. '—/''// Mall |
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•.OallyiL ANNE MAULEVERER.
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The Vellow Alter.' Stamd EditiaH.

t,.d.,.--

] lo the hcmi
ibe bu cst^

' A luic coDcnriim and ■bftDrhuc^ uC"*^-

Dorethu Oarud. THINGS THAT
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- a. FlndUtar. THE GREEN
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Editim. Craan Sua. Gj.
A powerfaL and vivid uon.' — Tfaia Jai J
A oeaulifiil ilory, lad azkd itraufc aa tmlb

MaUGanlli.
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rormdoabled
tacuitj una merva nnx.'— ^^acWtar.
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beauliful. -—Black tmd WJtili.
'. R FlBdlater. A DAUGHTER
OF STRIFE. By JANE HELEN

RACHEL. By

Jane H. Findlater. Stamd

Editien. Crnen ise. 6>.
* Powerful and lyinpatlidic-' — Glmigam

Graves of fijUgoi

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