228 ADVENTURES IN SOUTH AFRICA. 



march before they had proceeded three miles, many of 

 them lying down and refusing to proceed further, or 

 even to stand up. I was obliged, in consequence, to 

 outspan one wagon and leave it behind, and to bring 

 on the other with the able oxen, and then send them 

 back to assist their dying comrades in bringing up the 

 second. I performed a short march, and halted on a 

 fine, open sandy spot, where I made a strong thorn kraal 

 for the cattle. Soon after we had outspanned the sec- 

 ond w^agon heavy rain set in, which continued at in- 

 tervals throughout the night. 



Light rains continued to fall throughout the 24th. 

 I, however, performed a short march, and brought my 

 wagons a few miles further up the Limpopo. I was 

 obliged, as on the last march, to bring on one wagon at 

 a time. 



Heavy rains fell at intervals throughout the next day. 

 " Ronoberg," a Natal ox, died during the night, and it 

 was evident that many more would die in a few days; 

 even now the half of them w^ere utterly unfit to work. 

 The heavy and continued rains which had lately set in 

 made me feel my heavy misfortune with increased se- 

 verity, for the country was hardly to be traveled with 

 such loads as mine, even with oxen in good working 

 condition. At length I found myself reduced to a stand, 

 or the next thing to it. In this state of things I deemed 

 it necessary to dispatch natives to the nearest mission- 

 ary station for assistance. I accordingly wrote a letter 

 to Mr. Livingstone, the resident missionary at Sichely's, 

 requesting the loan of two spans of oxen, and, having 

 sealed up my epistle in a bottle, I sent it oft' with two 

 natives, instructing them to use all possible speed. One 

 of these men was a native in my service, named " Ram- 

 achumey ;" the other was one of Sichely's subjects, 



