OU.i ADVENTURES IN SOUTH AFRICA. 



trie« x) keep ^yatch on either side of him. My dinner 

 consisted of a piece of Ilcsh from the temple of the ele- 

 phant, which I broiled on the hot embers. In the con- 

 flict I had lost my shirt, which was reduced to strcam- 

 trs by the wait-a-bit thorns, and all the clothing that 

 .remained was a pair of buclcskin knee-breeches. 



The night was very cold, it being now the dead of 

 the African winter. Having collected dry grass, I 

 spread it beside my fire, and lay down for the night 

 with no other covering than an old sheep-skin which I 

 had used for a saddle-cloth. Shortly after T had drop- 

 ped asleep. Mutch uisho, commiserating my bare condi- 

 tion, spread an old jackal kaross over me. This kaross, 

 as all Beehuana garments are, was thickly tenanted 

 by small transparent insects, usually denominated lice. 

 These virulent creatures, probably finding my skin 

 more tender than that of the owner of the kaross, seem- 

 ed resolved to enjoy a banquet while they could ; and 

 presently I awolce with my whole body so poisoned and 

 inflamed that I felt as if attacked with a severe fever. 

 All further rest that night was at an end. I returned 

 the kaross to Mutchuisho, with grateful acknowledg- 

 ments for his polite intentions; and piling dry wood on 

 the fire, which emitted a light as bright as day, I aroused 

 the slumbering Kleinboy to assist me in turning my 

 buckskins outside in, when an animating " chasse" 

 commenced, which terminated in the capture of about 

 fourscore of my white-currant colored visitors. I then 

 lit another fire opposite to the first, and spent the re- 

 mainder of the night squatted between the two, thus 

 imbibing caloric before and behind. 



As the sun rose on the morning of the 25th, Mut- 

 chuisho gave the word to cut up the elephant, when a 

 scene of blood, noise, and turmoil ensued which I'hiHc^ 



