Our cries had “ garrisoned the glen ” with a vengeance !
Devil-like the creatures leaped from stone to stone as they
hastened towards us.
No sooner did they see me than they were off with a
bound. Some ran ahead of us at breakneck speed, as if bent
upon carrying quick tidings to their chiefs and headmen of
the arrival of a white man. Then I inwardly said : “ F ool!
these people do look alarmed. I ought to have taken
Karemba’s advice.” Now it was too late.
As we-trended our way the natives sprung from all sides.
Whenever they would pass me they would give me a wide
berth. They seemed frightened and very much astonished.
In appearance they at first sight might be said to resemble
the Mashona. Unlike the Mashona, however, they do not
file the teeth. Their tribal distinction is seen in the
manner in which they tatoo their faces, which are marked
by little incisions cut around the temples and upon the
forehead down as far as the bridge of the nose, I think
making them very hideous.
Many, I noticed, carried flint-lock rifles, but the majority
had the assegai, and the bow and arrows. similar to the
weapons of the Mashona.
By the time that we had crossed the little stream of
clear water on the farther side of the town, the crowd had
assumed very large proportions. We immediately commenced
the work of making a strong camp. How long
we were to be here could not be foreseen. Our camp was
situated in the small belt of thick forest which covered the
bank of the stream.
I at once deputed Karemba and some of the boys to go
and buy some food, thinking that the timidity of the
people would in this way be allayed.
As the Southern Cross was nearing its zenith I was much
tempted to take an observation, but from the inside of the
skerm this was impracticable, owing to the boughs of a tree
which were just in the line of sight, so that it would have
been necessary to take all the paraphernalia out to some
barer spot. Therefore it was more judicious to defer the
matter to another day, when I might be better acquainted
with the feelings of the people. In the meantime astronomical
studies might' only aggravate them, by creating
an impression that I was exercising some subtle and evil
influence over the crops.
In the bush I could distinguish numbers of women who
had brought bunches of corn on th§ cob, &c. They were
trading freely with the boys, but they would not approach
me upon any account, keeping well clear of the skerm in
which I stood.
The boys soon returned with a good supply of provisions,
which were wanted seriously, for we had not been shooting
for three days.
John was not very long in letting me know that the boys
were very frightened. They would go no farther on any
account or for any present. Of course my first thought
returned to the question how I could get some boys here to
proceed ? The prospect was hardly a pleasant one, for the
people were evidently mistrustful.
Weariness soon made me oblivious to surrounding
troubles. I turned into the small tent which occupied the
centre of the enclosure, and, after writing up the journal,
almost immediately dropped off into a sound slumber. But
the repose was not of long duration. Karemba soon came
to arouse me saying that a brother of the chief had come
bringing with him a tusk of ivory in order to purchase
powder. Karemba suggested that the tusk should be
bought seeing that the owner was the chief’s brother. I