The heat was terrific, 108 degrees in the waggon, full of these wild children of nature, with several hundred naked people round and under the waggon; a regular Babel of sounds, men begging for everything they saw, even wanting the clothes I had on. The head Induna took a fancy to my waistcoat, and as I wanted to get on without sending a message to the king, I made a bargain with him, that if he would send two of his warriors as my guard to the king, I would give him the waistcoat and an old black coat. This settled the question. I gave him the coat and waistcoat, which he then put on his naked person, and strutted up and down full of pride and vanity to the admiration of all. He was a splendid specimen of humanity, standing at least six feet six inches, stout in proportion, with a handsome, expressive countenance. My coat looked ridiculously small, and the waistcoat would not meet in front by several inches, but that was of no consequence.
At last, after settling for pay to my two guards, I left at 4 p.m., thankful to get away. Up to this time a cup of coffee in the early morning, and a few biscuits, had been my Christmas fare. After travelling three miles over a very stony road I came to a stand. The only means of getting on was to make use of the screw-jack to raise the wheels over the enormous granite blocks in the road—first the front, then the after wheels. When clear of them I set to work to cut down trees, to make room for the waggon to pass. At last, when night came, I was too exhausted to do anything but lie down on my bed and go to sleep. Christmas Days in Africa have, from some cause, been unlucky with me in the way of good fare; monkeys, tiger-cats, meercats, porcupines, ant-bears, and such like dainties, have always fallen to my lot on Christmas Day.
26th, Wednesday.—Splendid morning. No disturbance all night. Rose by sun-up, hungry; had a broil of some eland on an iron ramrod, and coffee—meat fit for the gods. Lovely and cool, thermometer 78 degrees. Took a bath in a small stream close at hand, a luxury not always to be obtained. As it was a cloudy morning and cool, I gave the oxen a feed and drink before starting. As we were only a short distance from the military kraal, we soon had some thirty Kaffir girls with wooden bowls of milk for sale.
Of all people I think these black people are most alive to the ridiculous and fun; full of what is called banter and quizzing, and very observant. On their arrival my boys and the two Zulus began to chaff them, but they gave it back with interest, and evidently had the best of it. Their witty remarks were very clever, and my boys had to give in. Some of them were very good-looking, with beautiful figures and expressive faces. Having filled all our bottles, and my Kaffirs having had a good drink of milk, we inspanned, and after two treks arrived at Lee’s farm for the night, passing on the way many quaint granite hills covered with tropical vegetation. The country round was also very pretty. Great unbroken masses of granite stand out in all directions. Lee was from home; his wife gave us coffee and sold us some reims.
27th, Thursday.—Beautiful morning. Treked in two inspans through a lovely country, intersected by many lofty granite kopjies, 300 feet in height, masses of granite formations, as if placed there by the hand of man; passing the Manyami’s outpost, on to Matapola station at the foot of the mountain of the same name, and outspanned on a pleasant open piece of grass, near some fine trees, the Kaffirs coming down in hundreds, begging “Tusa, Tusa,” everlasting, until my head Zulu, guard ordered them off to their kraal, leaving the girls to sell their milk and ground-nuts. Without this guard I should have had much trouble to keep these sons of nature in subjection.
On our way to-day I was nearly having to pay a large sum. At our outspan my herd boy, who had charge of the oxen when feeding, allowed them to stray into a Kaffir garden, where a fine crop of Kaffir corn was growing. My head guard found it out, and told my boys that they must bring on the oxen at once, inspan, and be off. If the Kaffirs found their corn trampled and eaten it would be serious; so we lost no time to push on. If any damage of this kind occurs, if only to a trifling extent, they will demand many head of oxen as a quittance. The guards seemed as pleased to get away as we did. No game to be seen on this side of Makobi’s; there are too many Kaffirs in the country. Many thousand head of cattle grazing everywhere.
28th, Friday.—Made two treks to-day. Crossed several bad drifts, but the scenery is very grand and beautiful, passing between lofty and grotesque granite conical hills, beautifully covered with many varieties of tropical shrubs and flowers. Met Mr John Lee going home with Mr Byles the hunter, and Mr White, at our first outspan. Passed several pretty trees (of the cactus family) and the siequarre trees, which bear long leaves, and at this season of the year dead flowers. Wild cotton grows in this region, and a plant called obendly, another kind of cotton-plant. The natives work up the cotton into long strings, fasten many together, and use it for tinder, or for sale to traders and hunters. The fibre is very tough, and if cultivated would be a valuable article of commerce; the flower is very peculiar, having green leaves; the pod is five inches in length, has three sides with a rib between, each side being one and a quarter inches wide, and green; the leaf is light-green above and white beneath, and grows along the ground. It is not found to grow south of twenty-one degrees, south latitude. I have now in my service the Zulu engaged at Makobi’s (Dumaka) as forelooper; Jack, the driver; Dirk, second driver; Mack, the cook and general servant; Jacob, a Bechuana, and the two Zulu guards.
29th, Saturday.—Travelled to-day in three short inspans, through a fine open country, thickly populated, large kraals in all directions. People very troublesome, constantly asking for presents, “Tusa,” all day longitude. Weather pleasantly warm, thermometer 90 degrees, a strong east wind blowing. Bought Kaffir beer for my boys at the Amaboguana, a large Kaffir station, and outspanned for the night near the large military station Amagoquana. Bought two Kaffir sheep for three pounds of beads. The country is well adapted for grazing purposes; the sheep were in splendid condition, each tail produced from ten to fourteen pounds of fat.
30th, Sunday.—We crossed the Carmarlo drift, and went on to one of Lo-Bengulu’s country stations, Umcarno, which is situated about twelve miles on the west of Gubuluwayo, where I found the king sitting on his waggon-box in his kraal, and the Rev. Mr Sykes and Mrs Sykes at their waggon a short distance away.
The rivers that complete the drainage of the eastern portion of the Mashona country, south of the Mopolo watershed, are the tributaries of the Sabia river. The most important are the Ingwezi, Lunde, Tokwe, and several small ones to the north. The Sabia rises in the watershed at an elevation of 4210 feet above sea-level, flows south for nearly 250 miles, then turns east, then north-east, and enters the Indian Ocean thirty miles south of Sofala. This river is supposed to be the boundary between Lo-Bengulu and the chief Umzela on the east.