THE NATIVES ^.STONISHED. 39 



bitterness against the ad\ancement of the Christian re- 

 ligion and for the number of his progeny. Bidding adieu 

 to Sicomy at mid-day on the 5th, I continued my march 

 for Corriebely, which I reached about noon on the fol- 

 lowing day. I was accompanied, as usual, by a num- 

 ber of the natives, in the hope of obtaining a supply of 

 flesh, elephants being reported to have revisited j\las- 

 souey. Heavy rains had fallen throughout this dis- 

 trict, and the country now presented an entirely new 

 appearance, rank young grass having every where 

 sprung up, and the plains and forests displaying a pro- 

 fusion of the richest verdure. It was here that I had 

 concealed a large quantity of lead, in a hole beneath 

 the ashes of my fire, before recrossing the mountains 

 of Bamangwato. Proceeding to the spot, I had the sat- 

 isfaction to observe that the ground appeard to have 

 been undisturbed, and, returning to the wagons, I com- 

 menced to unlash from the side of one of these a shovel. 

 The natives, who always watched my movements with 

 great attention, at once observed me, and a large party 

 followed me to my former fire-place. Here, to their 

 surprise, I began to excavate ; and on beholding the 

 lead, they seemed utterly astounded, and I could read 

 very plainly in their faces that, had they known it was 

 there, they would have saved my oxen the trouble of 

 transporting it across the sandy deserts between me 

 and Bakatla. On reaching INIassoucy and examining 

 the fountain, I sought in vain for the tracks of ele- 

 phants ; the natives, nevertheless, declared that one or 

 two herds of these were still to be met with in the dis- 

 trict, which I inclined to credit ; and this report turned 

 out to be correct, for the succeeding day I followed and 

 succeeded in bagging a whole herd of eight bull and cow 

 elephants, after a most exciting chase. 



