colours of red and yellow. I feel confident that in
the massive mountain behind the kraal some more
fortunate travellers will find objects of interest which
will well repay investigation. We have distinctly
unpleasant recollections of the place, as we have also
of a certain dangerous 'slippery drift or ford across
thè Biver Odzani, which we found about half way
between ’Mtasa’s and the B.S.A. camp at Umtali.
We had to take off our shoes and stockings and lead
our horses across the slippery rocks ; they, poor
things, slipped at every step and trembled with fright.
As for our donkeys, they subsided altogether, and had
to, be unloaded and almost carried across.
CHAPTER XII
THE JOUBNEY TO THE COAST
We reached Umtali on October 24, just a month-
after leaving Port Salisbury. We were distinctly
weary and wayworn, and having had but little food of
late we partook of the refreshments kindly set before,
us by the officers of the Chartered Company with, to
us, unparalleled heartiness. At Umtali we pitched
our tents near a stream with every intention, as time
would permit, of taking a few days of rest and retrospect
before starting on the arduous journey down to
the coast. .
We had now travelled through the greater part
of Mashonaland, as, I suppose, the new country must
inevitably be called; we had studied the archaeology
and anthropology of the districts through which we
had passed with all the diligence that hard travelling
and hard work would allow. Mr, Swan had constructed
a map of the route from observations and
bearings taken at every possible opportunity by day
and by night; and at the same time we had formed
opinions on the country from our own point of view,
perhaps all the more unbiassed because we were not
in search of gold, neither had we pegged out any
claims for future development.