XV REACH CAMBARI'S TOWN 319 



to get on in front of him. He gave me a letter to 

 a man trading for him, Da Costa by name, who left 

 the Zambesi about three weeks ago, and whom he 

 said we should find at Sitanda's Town. Sitanda is 

 the headman in the Manica country. Mendon9a 

 told Da Costa in the letter that he must help us in 

 every way — give us men to show where the elephants 

 are, to carry the tusks, and to supply us with every- 

 thing in the way of goods that we may want and 

 that he has with him. 



December 14///. — Only got a very short distance, 

 owing to one of the Kafirs being ill. 



December i^th. — Made a morning's journey to 

 Cambari's Town, an old Banyai, dependent for his 

 safety upon the caprice of Canyemba. He lived on 

 the banks of a little river called the Chongwe, which 

 runs out of the neighbouring range of hills into the 

 Kafukwe. From here our road lay through the 

 hills, which frowned above us, to the Manica country; 

 and, as rain threatened, we thought it best to stop over 

 for the day, and make a fair start on the morrow. 



December i6lh. — A heavy shower of rain com- 

 menced to fall before daybreak, and continued to do 

 so without cessation until late in the afternoon ; so 

 we had to lie up for the day, and amuse ourselves as 

 best we might in a Kafir hut, which old Cambari 

 kindly placed at our disposal. 



December 1 7//;. — Weather still looked very rainy, 

 and the high mountains in front of us, and through 

 or rather over which our road now lay, were shrouded 

 in thick mist. However, we made a start, and 

 before going far I shot an impala ram. Soon after 

 a heavy shower came on, during which we took 

 shelter in an old Kafir hut and made breakfast. 

 About 10 A.M. it again cleared up, and we got on 



