342 A HUNTER'S WANDERINGS ch. 



so that my retinue numbered in all twenty men, for 

 whom I bought food enough to last eight days, as I 

 did not know whether there was any game or not 

 along the track. 



April 6th. — Made a start soon after daylight. 

 The eight men who carried Owen worked by turns, 

 two at a time, and, going at a sort of half-trot, got 

 over the ground at a great pace where the walking 

 was good. In general, however, the walking was 

 very rough, up and down steep ravines, and through 

 long tangled grass. Our route led us in a line 

 parallel with the course of the Umay, a considerable- 

 sized river, running into the Zambesi from the south ; 

 and the frequent ravines we had to cross were formed 

 by the tributaries of this stream. Towards evening 

 we crossed fresh buffalo spoor, so I left the caravan 

 and followed it ; but, though I went a long way, I 

 could not come up with them, and only reached 

 camp a little before dark, quite tired, for I was still 

 very weak. 



April "jth. — The Banyais (for to this tribe the 

 people belong who were working for me) refused to 

 carry Owen any farther unless I paid them the sum 

 that had been agreed upon beforehand. Ihis of 

 course I could not do, knowing only too well that, 

 directly they had got their payment, they would run 

 away at night, and leave us to die in the wilderness. 

 However, after a great deal of talking and arguing, 

 and not before I had measured out the payment of 

 each individual separately and shown it to him, they 

 once more consented to go on ; and so, about mid-day, 

 we continued our journey. On the fourth day they 

 made another stand to get their payment, and once 

 more argued the point for several hours, but, finding 

 me firm, once more gave in. All this time we were 



