Kaffir Women. 129 



coi^ied from a i3hotogra|)h by Snrgeon-Major 

 MellacleAv. One woman immediately recognized 

 it, and clapped her hands, calling out, " Ha, ha I 

 Matahele, >\Iatahele 1 ' Then came some pictures 

 of soldiers, which they also recognized, and with 

 ^vdiich they were equally pleased. A pleasant 

 half-hour was thus sj^ent. A Kaffir man sold me 

 his hat for 6^., which I took a fancy to, and which 

 was simply the skin of a very pretty little red and 

 black bird, tied jauntily on the left side of his 

 head with a piece of string. Then he went away, 

 but soon returned Avith another " hat " on. This, 

 hoAvever, was not nearly so pretty, and I made 

 no offers. I have no doubt that had I bouoiit it, 



CD ' 



he could have a^Dpeared in any number of " hats " 

 in succession. I also bought from him a jackal's 

 tail (used for brushing flies a^vay) for Qd., and 

 my Kaffir friend went away delighted with his 

 bargains. 



Tuesday, June IQtJi. — Inspanned 2 a.m. Arrived 

 at Palla Camp — seventeen miles from Xo. 4 Post 

 Station. Our outsj^an is on the banks of the 

 Crocodile River, about hfty yards distant. The 

 actual camp of the Bechuanaland Police is about 

 four miles further on, where there is also a tele- 

 graph station. A small detachment of the police 

 are stationed there. There are tAvo stores, one of 

 Avhich is Avithin half a mile of our outspan. I Avas 

 told that there AA^as a good deal of fever about 

 here, contracted at the close of the late rainy 

 season, but there is ahvays more or less fever 

 along the banks of the Crocodile. The country 



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