64 THE GREAT THIRST LAND. 



in age he might have been anything from forty down- 

 wards, stood about five feet nothing, with a shockingly 

 ugly face. To this last circumstance he may attribute 

 the name he received, namely, Imp. From the first I 

 noted that the poor wanderer, whom I christened 

 Umganey, after the neighbouring falls, was far from 

 well received by his future companions ; so, having the 

 interpreter to assist me, I determined there and then to 

 put a stop to any attempt to treat him unkindly. The 

 interpreter made them a powerful speech, reminded Jim 

 and Imp that they belonged to Maritzburg, and would 

 be punished on their return if they misbehaved; and 

 wound up by assuring them, that in the Boer's country 

 their only safety was in sticking to their master, and 

 agreeing among themselves. 



As a treat, each received a couple of inches of Boer 

 tobacco : from that moment Umganey was as good as 

 the best man among them. 



My difficulties I narrated to the good magistrate 

 with whom I had become acquainted, and I have 

 ever since been under the impression that, unknown 

 to me, he used some influence he possessed to enable me 

 to renew my journey, for that evening I succeeded 

 in making an arrangement with a resident to treck 

 the wagon to the next halting-place, about fifteen miles 

 off, and nearly all up-hill. 



