SOUTH AFRICA 43 



months' leave to England. Instead of going north 

 we started for the south, I remainincr at Maclontsie 

 in temporary command of the corps, whilst he 

 proceeded to England. 



The war dance of the Matabele tribe, an annual 

 function which is in reality a harvest festival, 

 was to begin about a couple of months after I 

 had taken charge. The distance from Maclontsie 

 to Bulawayo is about two hundred and forty miles. 

 By way of breaking the monotony of camp and 

 making myself acquainted with the country, I 

 obtained from the High Commissioner at Cape 

 Town fourteen days' leave for the purpose of 

 shooting. Another officer in the corps, also 

 seconded, was equally as keen as myself on wit- 

 nessing one of the historic functions in the life 

 of the most powerful nation in that part of South 

 Africa. We therefore arranged that two separate 

 routes should be taken, and a survey made of 

 each. Captain (as he then was) Sitwell, now a 

 Major-General, had originally been in the 5th 

 Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers, Militia, as I 

 had myself, likewise Major (now Sir) Rawleigh 

 Grey and Colonel Carr Elison, all Northumber- 

 land men, who had joined the Militia previous to 

 entering the army. It was rather a strange coin- 

 cidence that four men from the same county should 

 have become members of the British Bechuanaland 



