17th.—Three waggons left to-day for down country, with Palmer, Bray, and Gordon.
18th, Tuesday.—Scott left to-day with Thompson. Rain all day and last night. Lions came close up to waggon, but too dark to get a shot.
19th.—Kaffirs came in to tell us there are plenty of giraffes and buffalo between this and Ramakaban river. Saddle up, McArthur with me; go in pursuit. Come up with a herd of buffaloes, seventeen, but bush is so dense cannot get a good shot; and after several attempts to get round them, they make off for the hills, and we return to camp in time to escape a severe thunderstorm.
20th.—Out all day down the rivers. Very hot, 107 degrees. The rain makes the heat very trying.
21st, Longest day.—Thermometer 102 degrees. The river is coming down fast. In the morning there was no water in its bed. At 4 p.m. it had risen twelve feet, bringing down large trees.
22nd, Saturday.—Left the Tati station at 6:30 a.m. Travelled six miles, and outspanned at a pan for the day. Plenty of water, wooded country all the way; crossed three bad sluits. Buffaloes, giraffes, and elephants can be seen from the waggon as we trek along, but the bush is so thick we cannot follow them. Shot a bastard eland before reaching the pan, which we secured by sending my two boys to protect it whilst we outspanned, as the distance was only a few hundred yards from the pan. The flesh is very good eating. Inspanned at 5 p.m., and treked four miles, as it came on to rain with thunder, and outspanned for the night in the bush. Made three large fires round oxen, to keep off lions that were constantly prowling about the waggon. Very pretty country, and pleasant to travel through when water is plentiful. McArthur’s driver I find very useful; he is a Zulu and speaks English.
23rd.—Very warm, 105 degrees. Treked in two inspans to Mpakwe river, through a very pretty and picturesque country. Crossed the Mpakwe on the 24th, a bad drift, and outspanned on the north bank, two miles south of Makobi’s outpost, a military kraal of the Matabele king. Sent Dirk, my driver, to the head Induna, for permission to go in. During his absence a Zulu came to waggon. I gave him for a present some powder and bullets, also a kerchief. He then, while I was reading, stole an axe and my waggon-whip, and cleared. The river is very pretty, and the wooded hills, with the variety of trees and shrubs that grow on their sides, impart a richness to the landscape.
25th, Christmas Day.—Thermometer 108 degrees. Inspanned at six.
Treked up to Makobi’s outpost. Two Indunas came to me, and several hundred of the natives, men, women, and children, swarming round me, and under the waggon, ready to steal anything they could lay their hands on. I complained to the Induna respecting the theft last evening, and told him I should report it to the king if the whip and axe were not returned. In about an hour the axe was returned, but not the whip.
It was amusing to see all the Kaffir girls when they came to sell their milk, ground-nuts, pumpkins, and other things, when I told them I would not buy any of their things because of the theft. They immediately began to abuse the thief in no measured language, because they found they had lost the sale of their goods; and when they found I was firm, the Induna promised I should have the whip on my return, if it could not be found before I left. I therefore got into the waggon to get some beads to purchase milk and other things, followed by half-a-dozen Kaffir maids with their goods, filling the waggon, followed by others blocking up the front. There was scarcely room to move. I soon cleared them out; these naked Venuses were much better outside.