xxviii AFRICAN NATURE NOTES 



buffaloes — Five old bulls — Bushbucks — Other antelopes and zebras — 

 Curiosity of the latter animals — Wart-hogs, bush-pigs, and hippopotamuses 

 — Numbers of carnivorous animals — Three lions seen — Fine male 

 wounded, and subsequently killed .... Pages 302-311 



CHAPTER XIX 



now I SPENT CHRISTMAS DAY 1 879 



Travelling through the desert — Large number of bullocks — Long distances 

 between permanent waters — Heavy sand — Start for Mahakabi — Intense 

 heat — Sufferings of the poor oxen — No water at Mahakabi — Search 

 for water with Bushmen guides — Another disappointment — Ride all 

 night — Reach the Luali river — Bullocks lost — Dick's account of the 

 catastrophe — Fear the worst — Ride to Shoshong for assistance — Return 

 to Klabala — Meet waggons ...... 312-327 



CHAPTER XX 



NOTES ON THE MASARWA : THE BUSHMEN OF THE INTERIOR 

 OF SOUTH AFRICA 



First Bushmen seen by author in 1872 — Armed with bows and arrows — 

 Large areas of country uninhabited except by Bushmen — The Masarwa 

 — Origin of the word *' Vaalpens " — Dwarf race mentioned by Professor 

 Keane — Notes on the language of the Bushmen north of the Orange 

 river — Apparently very similar to that spoken by the Koranas — The 

 author's faithful Korana servant — The Nero family — Physical dis- 

 similarity between the Koranas and the Masarwa — Stature of Bushmen 

 met with north of the Orange river — Probably a pure race — The 

 Bakalahari — Livingstone's account of them — Khama's kindness to 

 them — Habits and mode of life of the Masarwa — Their weapons — 

 Bows and poisoned arrows — Food of the Bushmen — Bush children 

 tracking tortoises — Terrible privations sometimes endured by Bushmen 

 — Provision against famine — A giraffe hunt — Rotten ostrich egg found 

 by Bushmen and eaten — Fundamental difference of nature between 

 Bushmen and civilised races not great — Personal experiences with 

 Bushmen — Their marvellous endurance — Skill as hunters and trackers 

 — Incident with lion — Family affection amongst Bushmen — Not un- 

 worthy members of the human race ..... 328-348 



INDEX 349 



