A YOUNG THIEF. 321 



frequent occurrence ; but the worst thing to be con- 

 tended with was the scarcity of water, and the un- 

 wholesomeness of what was procured by digging deep 

 wells. This, no doubt, is owing to the great flatness 

 of the land for miles from the coast. Stacy was the 

 only sufferer, having had a very severe attack of dy- 

 sentery, of which he all but died. This was the only 

 real occasion we had to test the quality of our elabo- 

 rate medicine chest. 



During my stay here I had some good bush-bock 

 and reed-bock shooting on the opposite side of the 

 river, and some grand fun at night with the hip- 

 popotami at its mouth, besides enjoying a good 

 swim every morning and evening, without the fear of 

 being chawed up by an alligator. The natives from 

 adjacent villages brought plenty of supplies in the 

 way of flour, eggs, fowl, bananas, &c., including 

 honey ; and numbers of monkeys were purchased by 

 different members of the expedition. 



The small runaway slave was caught thieving by 

 Chinsoro, and having received a sound flogging at his 

 hands, was turned out of camp ignominiously. One 

 day I crossed the river, and walking as far as tha, ^ 

 Luabo mouth of the Zambesi, succeeded in kill- 

 ing two waterbuck and a reed-bock. Just at dusk 

 one evening, after a heavy thunder-storm, I saw two 

 hippopotami, from camp, walking in shallow water 

 towards the shore. They were evidently going in to 

 feed. Taking the gumtickler and rifle, I got well in 

 opposite them, and lay concealed, awaiting their ap- 

 proach. They walked straight towards where I lay, 

 till when within a hundred yards distance they winded x 



