236 A HUNTER'S WANDERINGS ch. 



began to fall. It is now about lo a.m., and the rain 

 has not yet ceased. Everything looked unspeakably 

 dismal and utterly miserable. If we only had 

 something to eat, we might stand a chance ot 

 getting well ; but Kafir corn and water is all we have. 



"January loth. — Owen a little better. Canyemba 

 has arrived at last from the Zambesi, and we now 

 confidently hope to get three or four boys from him 

 to help us out of the country. A Portuguese trader, 

 whom we saw at Mendon^a's, had accompanied him ; 

 but he had remained behind. 



January 2isL — The Portuguese trader arrived 

 about mid-day. He looked very ill, and was very 

 much disgusted with the country. In the afternoon 

 I went up to old Canyemba to try and get three 

 boys from him to help us back to the Zambesi. 

 However, though he had two hundred men with him, 

 he would not give us one, nor help us in any way ; 

 nor would he give us a man to carry the letter I had 

 got from Mendon^a to Da Costa, who was only a 

 day and a half's walk from here, and who, on reading 

 the letter from his master, would no doubt have 

 afforded us every assistance in his power. I got a 

 relapse of fever in the evening, and was very ill all 

 night. It was evident that we must get away from 

 here at all costs, as there was no doubt that it was a 

 most particularly unhealthy spot ; and, besides that, 

 there was no more food of any sort to be got. Tried to 

 make an arrangement with the Portuguese to get a few 

 pieces of calico from him and pay Mendon^a, with 

 whom I had left a few pounds, on my arrival at the 

 Zambesi. However, he would not do it. Then 

 asked if he would not let us have some, if we gave 

 him Mendon(;a's letter to Da Costa, and signed a 

 paper saying what we had received from him, and 



