320 THE GREAT THIRST LAND. 



description of her must be given. She is fourteen 

 hands two inches high, well made, has sound flat legs, 

 powerful loins, and good barrel ; in fact, but for being 

 more massive, she is a good imitation of an English 

 racehorse. Her colour is a dark iron-grey. 



T expected to have some trouble in breaking her, but 

 I found her as docile from the beginning as if she had 

 been worked all her life. Her paces, which at first were 

 somewhat rough, soon got made, and her mouth after 

 two or three rides became perfect. At first I resolved 

 to take her colt with me, but afterwards I changed my 

 mind, as every panther and hyaena in the country through 

 which I was about to pass would have deemed it a 

 point of honour to kill it. Of course I anticipate some 

 trouble in separating the mother and child, and it is 

 rather bad to do so, but there is no alternative. 



The new driver I have obtained is called Fowl I 

 suppose Boer for Paul he has been at the Lake and 

 other distant parts, bears an indifferent character, but, 

 as he is the only one available, I am obliged, "when 

 necessity drives, needs must." 



I wished to replace my pets ; for my late poor goat 

 got run over the night we trecked from the Limpopo. 

 It happened in this way : A hyaena made a dash at her, 

 and she tried to rush under the wagon, and in doing so 

 a hind wheel went over her loins, and broke her back. 

 The monkey deserted when at the Boer encampment, 

 and was seen by Umganey hail-fellow-well-met with a 

 number of his species in a grove of trees on the river- 

 bank. He was recognised by the belt round his waist. 

 But at Soshong I was unable to make up these losses. 

 Although there were plenty of monkeys and baboons 

 frequently to be seen among the rocks behind Mr. 



