xvr A SLAVE BOUGHT 337 



asking him to return it to him. To this also he 

 would not agree. As a last resource, I asked him 

 if he would not buy a large -bore muzzle- loading 

 elephant gun. This he was willing to do, and drove 

 a hard bargain with me, only giving five pieces of 

 calico (24 yards) for a first-rate elephant gun, half a 

 bag of powder, and about fifty bullets. 



January iind. — Still detained trying to get a 

 few carriers from some of the surrounding towns. 

 We found, however, that the heartless old brute 

 Sitanda had given orders that none of his people 

 were to carry for us, or to help us on in any way, no 

 matter what payment we might offer. There can 

 be no doubt of his motives ; he believed that if he 

 could only prevent us from effecting our escape we 

 should soon make our exit from this v^'orld, and he 

 would then be able to pounce down upon our things 

 like a vulture. I think he and his people were too 

 cowardly to resort to open violence. 



January 2i^rd. — Sorted out our things, leaving 

 behind the greater part of our cartridges and many 

 other articles, so as to reduce what our scanty retinue 

 would have to carry as much as possible. In the 

 evening the Portuguese came down with a slave for 

 sale, a young Kafir, about eighteen or twenty years 

 of age. As it was of vital importance to us to get 

 carriers, I did not hesitate to buy him, and after a 

 good deal of haggling we managed to strike a bargain, 

 giving 320 loaded cartridges for this not very pre- 

 possessing-looking specimen of humanity. Like 

 many of the people about here, he had all his teeth 

 filed to sharp points. The Portuguese told me I 

 must watch him well in the daytime, and tie him up 

 at night ; however, I explained to him, through 

 one of my boys, that, although I had bought him, I 



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