The Journal of a Sporting Nomad 
Massikessi. Here we found three empty huts 
belonging to some natives; one I annexed for 
the use of Weddell and self, the others I gave 
over to my boys. It was quite a business to get 
my hut even decently clean enough to sleep in. 
I turned some boys on to sweeping and generally 
furbishing up the place, the result being better 
than I anticipated. I spent but one night here, 
being anxious to get on to the country where I 
understood buffalo were to be found. Accordingly, 
early next morning we made a start, making a 
line to intercept the River Pungwe, some ten 
miles away as we walked, but which by following 
the river would have been more like fifteen miles. 
We passed a dried-up water-hole on the way. 
In this place there grew most lovely water- 
lilies of a deep mauve colour. Some of the seed- 
pods were more than half ripe, so I picked a few 
to put in my pocket, hoping that I might on my 
return to England get some seedling plants. 
This, however, I failed to do, possibly because 
the pods were picked before they were ripe 
enough. I had collected quite a nice lot of 
flowering plants in my wanderings since leaving 
Salisbury, planting them in old tins, then putting 
them in scoff (food) boxes, which I made two of 
my boys especially responsible for. They carried 
them on their heads for some hundreds of miles. 
I eventually brought them to England. Some 
did fairly well, but an English gardener is often- 
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