TREACHERY OF CAACHY. 237 



without his assistance ; and I informed him that, if he 

 persisted in withholding guides, I should inform Sicomy, 

 the great and paramount chief of Bamangwato, that 

 they endeavored to prevent white men from visiting 

 his domains. Upon this Caachy changed his story, and 

 said that four men should accompany me to Baman- 

 gwato, and return with me. His plan, however, was, 

 that these men should guide me in a wrong direction; 

 and pretending that the waters had failed, they were 

 eventually to lead me to Sichely, who resided to the 

 eastward of Booby. 



This being arranged, I gave Caachy some presents, 

 and requested him to take charge of my buffalo and 

 other heads until my return, which he promised to do, 

 and ordered men to bear them directly to his kraal. 

 About mid-day we inspanned and left Booby, accom- 

 panied by nearly the whole tribe, every man carrying 

 two or three assagais and a battle-ax. They followed 

 us in the hope that I would shoot large game for them. 

 The guides at first held northeast ; but presently draw- 

 ing off that course and steering due east, I halted, and 

 said that was not the road to Bamangwato. They re- 

 plied, they held that course on account of water. I 

 then directed them to place an assagai on the ground 

 with its head pointing to Bamangwato. Thereupon 

 the savages laid down one of their assagais, and, having 

 pretended for some minutes to be discussing among 

 themselves the exact position of Bamangwato, the^ 

 ended by pointing it due east, declaring that Baman- 

 gwato lay in that direction. I told them that I had a 

 needle in my pocket which I had rubbed with medicine, 

 by which I could tell if their spear pointed to Sicomy's 

 country. Knowing that Bamangwato lay a little to 

 ■the east of north, I said that by turning the needle three 



