152 DEATH OF KAHICHENE. 



mouth, they tug away voraciously, not being over particular 

 as to mastication. In this waj they soon manage to get 

 through a yard or two, the place of pepper and salt being 

 supplied by ashes attached to the flesh, which ashes are, more- 

 over, found to be an excellent remedy against bad digestion. 



I frequently observed the daughter of Kahichene's favor- 

 ite wife sprinkling water over the large oxen as they return- 

 ed to the werft about noon to quench their thirst. On such 

 occasions she made use of a small branch of some kind of 

 berry-tree, such as that which Kahichene caused to be trail- 

 ed after him when wishing to be successful in his attack on 

 Omugunde. In this instance (as they somewhat poetically 

 expressed themselves), the aspersion was supposed, should the 

 cattle be stolen, to have the power of scattering them like 

 drops of water, in order to confuse their pursuers, and to fa- 

 cilitate their return to the owners. 



On the 18th of March we were again en route. It was 

 with regret that we parted with our friendly and hospitable 

 host. Poor Kahichene we were doomed never to meet again ! 

 A few months after our departure he made an attack on 

 Omugunde ; but, at the very commencement of the fight, and 

 when every thing promised success, his dastardly followers 

 (as he always had predicted) left him. But too proud him- 

 self to fly, he fell, mortally wounded, pierced with a shower 

 of arrows. 



Being in advance of the wagons, I suddenly came upon 

 an animal which, though considerably smaller, much resem- 

 bled a lion in appearance. Under ordinary circumstances I 

 should certainly have taken it for a young lion ; but I had 

 been formerly given to understand that in this part of Africa 

 there exists a quadruped which, in regard to shape and col- 

 or, is like a lion, but in most other respects totally distinct 

 from it. The beast in question is said to be nocturnal in its 

 habits, to be timid and harmless, and to prey, for the most 

 part, on the small species of antelopes. In the native Ian- 



