A BLACK BEAUTY. 357 



features. They are capable of enduring much fatigue, 

 and possess great courage in the chase, all game, from 

 the largest to the smallest, falling before their spears or 

 arrows. Still they are not a warlike race, and very much 

 dread the Matabeles. 



It is worth while to see the line of march, women, 

 children, and men all spread out, and on the qui vive 

 for anything that can be picked up, from a tortoise to a 

 meer-cat. There is one man who has three wives the 

 youngest one is not more than fifteen, and only lately 

 married, and as an elder wife has two bairns, this young 

 thing has to carry one of them, and that the bigger. 

 I am quite certain from her look that she does not like 

 the occupation, and I should say small blame to her. 



She has a beautiful figure and very pretty face, and 

 as she has only a piece of caross fastened to her loins, 

 there is no deception possible. But for her complexion, 

 a description of coffee-colour, I feel convinced that 

 if she were dressed a la mode she would be a belle. 

 You should see her run : a jackal jumps up, after it 

 rush the dogs, down goes the baby dump off her back 

 in an instant, no matter whether into thorns or not, and 

 like a sky-rocket she is in pursuit, to save the hide from 

 being torn by the dogs yes, and the carcase too for that 

 matter, for jackal is deemed a great delicacy among them. 



She is a mischievous young lady too. The large 

 caterpillars, immense things longer than you** middle 

 finger, and beautifully marked with purple and green 

 spots along the side, are deemed by the Massara great 

 delicacies ; they eat them au naturel or parched, the latter 

 being the favourite method. Having found a quantity 

 of them, she brought me some alive, and when she dis- 

 covered that I had even repugnance to taking them in 



