XIX ABANDON THE WAGGONS 411 



In the mopani forests a little beyond these pans 

 the road became untraceable, so we returned to the 

 last pan and waited for daylight. 



By the light of day, however, there was no more 

 sign of a road than by moonlight. However, we 

 found some buffido spoor, not many days olci, 

 and knowing that these animals are never found 

 many miles away from water, we searched all the 

 morning for the life-sustaining element, but in vain. 

 Though we found many pans, they were all quite dry, 

 so we gave it up at last, and retraced our steps to 

 the waggons, which we met only a few miles short 

 of the large pan where we had passed a portion of 

 the night. 



The oxen were now quite told out, and stood all 

 in a heap under a cluster of mopani trees, trying to 

 escape the fierce rays of the sun. 



I now questioned Ai-eetsee-upee and old Jacob as 

 to how far we still were from the Mababe river, and 

 learned from the latter that, if we struck through 

 the mopani forests to our left, we should very soon 

 cut into the upper part of the flat, and might reach 

 the river before midnight. He said, however, that 

 he was afraid that where we got water we should 

 find the tsetse fly. This was, however, a secondary 

 consideration : our first care was to reach the water. 

 So, five minutes lat.^r, we abandoned the waggons, 

 and following old Jacob, who stepped out briskly in 

 front, started with bullocks, horses, dogs, and Kafirs, 

 in search of the river. 



Just before sundown, we emerged upon the great 

 open plain known as the Mababe Flat, and old Jacob 

 at once pointed out to me the smoke of some grass 

 fires which were burning at a distance of about twelve 

 miles. " Those fires are burning in the reeds of the 



