AMULETS LARGE CARAVAN. 179 



pleased at being thus foiled, and kept growling in the dis- 

 tance during the remainder of the night. The following 

 morning, on meeting one of the Ovambo, I inquired whether 

 they also had been troubled by the lion, to which he only re- 

 plied by pointing to a piece of wood — a charm of some kind — 

 hung round his neck, as much as to say, " Do you think that 

 any thing can hurt us or our cattle, with this in our pos- 

 session f 



The Damaras have also great faith in amulets, consisting 

 generally of the teeth of lions and hysenas, entrails of ani- 

 mals, pieces of certain kinds of wood, and so forth. Our na- 

 tive servants, indeed, before leaving Okamabuti, had pur- 

 chased, for a few iron beads, several charms from Tjopopa's 

 favorite wife, and, thus provided, conceived themselves proof 

 against every danger and calamity. 



On the 24th we again found ourselves at Otjikango ("Ball- 

 oon Fountain"). By this time our caravan was completed, 

 as straggling parties of natives had continued to join us ; and 

 we found to our astonishment that, including ourselves, yre 

 mustered one hundred and seventy souls. Of this number 

 were no less than seventy or eighty Damara women, bent on 

 various speculations — some in hope of obtaining employment, 

 some to get husbands, and others with a view of disposing of 

 their shell bodices, spoken of in chapter four. The latter, 

 as we afterward found, are taken to pieces by the Ovambo 

 women, and worn in strings round the w^aist. In exchange, 

 the Damaras receive beads, tobacco, com, &c. 



The country between Okamabuti and Otjikango we found 

 well watered with copious springs, and covered with a rank 

 vegetation. Otjikango itself, being situated in a valley be- 

 tween high and steep hills, was not unpicturesqne. It was 

 well supplied with water, which in several places oozed out 

 of a kind of vley or marsh — in the rainy season undoubtedly 

 a little lake. We lost no time here, but were again on the 

 move at an early hour on the succeeding morning. 



