They must certainly have died of hunger, for that part
of the desert was absolutely uninhabited.
When we reached Linokani I was “ unloaded from the
waggon and carried into a good hut, that, according to
my orders. Major had built, with the help of Bushmen
during my absence. In this hut he had made a bed
by sticking posts in the ground a n d stretching cross-pieces
of wood over them I with a thick layer of grass this
made a very good bed. I gave orders to distribute four
pounds of flour to each one of my men, and then asked
Maior for news. 1 , e.
The first he gave me was good : the oxen I had le ,
with the exception of two that had died, were m splendid
condition. Twelve fresh oxen had been sent.to me, an
had arrived a fortnight previously; some of them were
good, but most were old animals worth nothing. Then
fame the bad news. While the new oxen were being tried,
mv waggon tent had once more been carried away by a
branch-one of the reasons why buck waggons ought
never to be taken for such expeditions; then the tyres
had become perfectly loose-a very common occurrence
with most waggons except Weddebum’s ; H B B i
of all myriads of rats had attacked my N g E g W j g
on the flour and sugar, and not content, with this had
destroyed most of my trading goods:
th e y had even nibbled at some bars o f lead..
n° i bfo!T Considered ways and means 8 B 9 | my
return. Oxen I had, but I had no leader, and what was
more serious, no driver. Major, who had suffered greatly
from pains in one of his arms was utterly
it now, in fact it was almost shrivelled up. I H g i |
suggested his making arrangements with one of the
Bamangwato, in whose waggon I had just j j j B g l
back and we' soon struck a bargam. Reims had t c be
looked after, and fresh skeys to be made, so I decided
start four days later.
While these arrangements were being made Joseph had
prepared dinner, and he soon brought me some corned
beef, with boiled peas, bread, and a smoking cup of
coffee with milk. How I enjoyed this dinner; how I
enjoyed smoking a cigarette afterwards! Only those who
have known what it is to starve for a month can understand
my feelings. Then it began to rain; how delightful it
was to see the rain falling, and not to receive it all
over me. It seemed incredible at first, and I had to pass
my hand over my face to realize that I was not getting
soaked through. I really felt then that life was worth
living to enjoy such luxuries. After a thorough wash I
put on a clean shirt, real socks—not only the legs—and
, a pair of trousers without holes. Never did I feel more
proud of my appearance, not even when I donned my
first dress suit.
The day after my arrival I was drinking a cup of
coffee on my bed when a rat fell down on my blankets
from among the logs that formed the wall of my hut;
the beast looked scared, and instead of making a bolt
of it, kept shrivelled up and looking upwards. Looking
up myself to find the cause of its extraordinary behaviour,
I noticed a huge snake partly hanging down above my
head. Unable to jump out of bed I let myself roll down
and hurriedly crept out of the hut, calling out to Major to
come and kill the beast. Major accordingly took an
assegai and stuck the serpent through the head; but in
its dying convulsions the snake spat in my servant’s face,
a distance of over five feet, and some of the venom went
in his eye. I immediately washed him with boracic acid,
and told him to go on washing himself with the lotion.*
He suffered a good deal of pain the whole day, but
towards evening all inflammation had subsided. During
two months no symptoms of any injury manifested them-
* 1 haT heard of other similar and I found that the eye ought
e washed at once with a solution of ammonia (i part ammonia to Jo
of water) introduced into the eye.