DISGUSTED WITH THE MAKOLOLOS. 81 



should get nothing to drink nearer than the Shire ; 

 so taking this bull's tail, I began my retreat. Just 

 as I did so a shrill whistle burst upon my ears. I 

 knew it was Moloka, and answered it, and a few mi- 

 nutes after he had rejoined me. He was wild with 

 delight. A long thorn having pierced the sole of his 

 foot and broken off, had detained him. 



I now found, to my dismay, that during this run 

 after the buffalo (about three miles) I had lost my 

 hunting- knife from its sheath. It was a favourite 

 knife, the handle having been made from the tusk of 

 an elephant I killed in India, and the whole thing 

 neatly turned out by Thornhill, Bond St., London. It 

 was late when we reached the boat, and I was so 

 choked with thirst that I could not speak till I had 

 washed my mouth out with water. 



Shortly after my success was reported in camp, a 

 party of our hungry Makololos, accompanied by their 

 " tigers," started for meat, and returned with as much 

 of that article as they could carry, but without a single 

 head. I was more disgusted than ever with them, and 

 felt inclined to hand their meat over to the alligators ; 

 but as Mr. Young allows no one but himself to rfebuke 

 a Makololo, I was obliged to take no notice ; and as he 

 is not much given to sport, and therefore incapable of 

 understanding a sportsman's feelings under such cir- 

 cumstances, he took no notice either. I am sorry to 

 say I turned in for the night in anything but a sweet 

 temper. Added to all this, the Makololo were again 

 threatening to return. Sincerely do I trust that we 

 may have a good breeze to-morrow. If we once had 

 these men some distance up the river, I fancy they 



