MAKE A NEW AXLE-TREE. 67 



the natives engaged in the most absurd idolatrous rites 

 to cleanse the kraal and the survivors from the elFects 

 of the electricity. Unlike the. Romans of old, these five 

 individuals did not consider tliemselves honored by the 

 partiality which the lightning had evinced for them ; 

 huddled together, we found them lying speechless and 

 terrified upon the ground, their hearts having died 

 within them. On the 1st of December, with Dr. Liv- 

 ingstone's kind assistance, I commenced making a new 

 axle-tree for the wagon, and by the evening of that day 

 week we had completed a good, substantial axle-tree 

 of seasoned hard wood, mounted with iron skeins, and 

 secured it in its place. The greatest difficulty we en- 

 countered in the accomplishment of our work was in 

 welding the iron skeins and fixing them in their proper 

 places. During my stay at Bakatla I traded extensive- 

 ly with the natives, and obtained from them a number 

 of karosses and various curiosities and articles of inter- 

 est. It was the heat of summer, and the sun at noon 

 was extremely overpowering ; the atmosphere, how- 

 ever, was occasionally refreshed by thunder-storms, ac- 

 companied with grateful showers of rain, which, oi 

 course, was attributed to the power of the rain-maker, 

 and the vale rang nightly with loud and joyous songs, 

 re-echoing his praises in a prolonged chorus. Before 

 leaving Bakatla my horse " Sunday" died of the dis- 

 temper, which reduced my stud from ten to two ; and, 

 before dismissing this subject, I may mention that I 

 managed to save these two from the distemper, and 

 succeeded in bringing them back to the colony, by pre- 

 venting thein from eating grass and by keeping them 

 covered at night with blankets. 



On the 11th I took leave of my kind host Dr. Living 

 stone, and, after a steady march of many days, on the 



