330 A HUNTER'S WANDERINGS ch. 



water between these two little rivers ; indeed, ever 

 since leaving the Chongwe the country we have passed 

 through seems badly watered. On the march I shot 

 a zebra stallion close to the footpath. At this town 

 we could get no corn, so had to send all the boys 

 back to bring in the zebra meat, and, as they ciid 

 not return till nightfall, we slept where we were. 



January i^rd. — Went on to the next town, about 

 eight miles distant in a northerly direction. Here 

 we were again detained all day buying corn, as we 

 hearci that farther on there was a famine in the land, 

 and we should not be able to get any. In the after- 

 noon two or three thunderstorms broke around us, 

 and we got two heavy showers of rain. 



January \th. — Went on in the morning to some 

 more towns, where we breakfasted. In the afternoon 

 made another move, and slept at a small pan of 

 water. Went out in the evening with my rifle, and 

 wounded a zebra, but lost it. I also saw a herd of 

 konze antelopes and two eland bulls, but, being in the 

 open, they saw me a long way off, and I could not 

 get a shot, though I followed them till sundown. 



January c^th. — Got on about twelve miles in a 

 northerly direction. Saw a herd of zebras in the 

 morning. Went out in the afternoon to look for 

 game, but saw nothing. This is an infernal country 

 to travel through ; there being a famine at the time 

 of our visit, nothing was to be got from the Kafirs 

 in the shape of provisions, except an occasional very 

 small basket of corn, for which we had to pay a most 

 exorbitant price. The farther, too, that we penetrated 

 into the country, the scarcer the game became ; so that, 

 if matters did not improve, we stood a very good 

 chance of being starved. This night, as also yesterday 

 and the night before, we were eaten up by mosquitoes. 



