3o6 A HUNTER'S WANDERINGS ch. 



of hard wood laid across calabashes of different sizes. 

 The whole affair was suspended in front of the 

 musician by a strap which passed over his shoulders, 

 and was fully as large as a street organ. The flat 

 pieces of wood when struck emitted a hollow, 

 deafening, and altogether most diabolical noise, 

 which one could hardly believe that even a Zambesi 

 Kafir could be brought to consider in any way 

 musical. This musician was accompanied by two 

 accomplices, one of whom beat upon a hollow buffalo 

 horn with a stick, and the other merely rapped two 

 pieces of wood one against the other, all three of 

 them going through a sort of slow dancing step, 

 and howling a dismal sort of chant (a few words 

 reiterated over and over again) in time to the music. 

 This band accompanied us to our sleeping-place, 

 and serenaded us in the most persevering manner. 

 About nine o'clock, however, a heavy rain came 

 down, which rather damped their ardour. 



November 2.0th. — Before daylight in the morning 

 the Batonga band again struck up, and played 

 without cessation until we struck our camp. Soon 

 after starting I shot two waterbucks ; and Owen, 

 who was in one of the canoes, shot a large crocodile, 

 measuring thirteen feet long. In the evening I 

 went after two hippopotami that were disporting 

 themselves in the river just opposite to the spot 

 which we had selected for our camp ; but the 

 narrow, crank canoe was so unsteady that I could 

 not shoot with any accuracy. One of them came up 

 about I ';o yards away, and then, opening its huge 

 jaws to the fullest extent, sprang half out of the 

 water, and threw itself over sideways. 



November list. — Reached Sambwero's, where we 

 breakfasted. We passed a great manv Batonga 



