20 ADVENTURES IN SOUrH AFRICA. 



of the many services it had performed for me in the 

 hour of need, I mourned over it as David mourned for 

 Absalom, On the evening of the 7th I returned to 

 Mangmaluky under a burning sun, which continued 

 oppressive throughout the day. Having lost my two- 

 grooved rifle, I resolved to try what could be done with 

 the double-barreled Moore and Purdey rifles, carrying 

 sixteen to the pound, and I accordingly set about cast- 

 ing hardened bullets to suit them. For this purpose I 

 had brought in with me a quantity of solder, but I now 

 had the mortification to discover that all that I had pos- 

 sessed of this important article had mysteriously van- 

 ished by some underhand transaction between my fol- 

 lowers and Sicomy. I was thus reduced to the extrem- 

 ity of melting the contents of my old military canteen 

 to harden the bullets ; and upon overhauling it, I as- 

 certained that the tray of the snuflers, the spoons, can- 

 dlesticks, tea-pots, and cwo drinking-cups, were admi- 

 rably suited for this purpose, and I accordingly ser 

 tenced them to undergo the fiery ordeal of the ladle. 



In the evening I had much pleasure to behold m .■ 

 old frienil Mutchuisho walk into my camp, followed by 

 a numerous party of the natives. He seemed glad tc 

 see me, and we at once arranged to make an expedi- 

 tion to the eastward on the following day. According- 

 ly, on the morning of the 9th I took the field with Jo- 

 hannus and Mutchuisho, and about eighty men, and 

 proceeded in a southeasterly direction. We continued 

 our course till the sun went down without finding fresh 

 spoor, when we halted for the night to leeward of a 

 fountain, wdiere we hoped that elephants would come 

 to drink. The heat throughout the day had been most 

 oppressive, the dense level forest rendering it still more 

 insupportable. On the morrow we cast loose the horses 



