TAKE LEAVE OF SICOMY. 285 



CHAPTER XV. 



Take leave of Sicomy — Digging for Water — The Elephant's Fountain 

 again — A wounded Roan Antelope bays in the Water, and kills my 

 Dogs right and left — Sicomy's Camp again — We march through a 

 beautiful Valley — Curious Instinct of the Rhinoceros Bird — A mighty 

 Bull Elephant shot after a hard Conflict — Mutchuisho's Attentions 

 more charitable than pleasant — Cutting up an Elephant — A strange 

 Scene — Baking the Flesh — Primitive Tobacco-pipes — Biltongue Fes- 

 toons. 



About 11 o'clock A.M. on the 5th of July, every- 

 thing being ready, I took leave of Sicomy and retraced 

 my steps for Corriebely. It caused me much pain and 

 anxiety to observe that my cattle were extremely hol- 

 low-looking and spiritless from want of water, not one 

 of them having obtained a sufficiency of that essential 

 of life since they had last drunk at Corriebely, and sev- 

 eral appearing so distressed that I entertained consid- 

 erable fears of their being able to reach that fountain. 

 I was accompanied by a small party of Sicomy's men, 

 who followed me in the hope of obtaining flesh. Hav- 

 ing proceeded about a mile, I missed my greyhound 

 •' Flam," which had been doubtless stolen by Sicomy's 

 orders, he being notorious for his predilection for that 

 variety of dog. I therefore at once dispatched a mes- 

 senger to the king, to say that I required him to find 

 my dog ; and shortly after this men overtook me, bear- 

 ing a kaross which they said the king had sent to pur- 

 chase one of my dogs. I replied that they had already 

 taken the dog, but that I would not have the kaross 

 They then departed, and I continued my march. Aft 



