Crossing the Mahalopsie River. 131 



I was called out to see a Kaffir *' boy " who had 

 been shot in the leg by a man, " X "" for mutiny. 

 The man had pulled out a knife, and meant mis- 

 chief. He was well pep})ered in the calf of one 

 leof, and I don't thiuk he will be able to sit doAvn 

 Avith ease for a few days. However, he was not 

 seriously hurt, as, of course, '' X/' took good care 

 not to shoot till he was, so to speak, at a safe 

 distance. 



Friday, June 19///. — Our outspan is about fifteen 

 miles from our hist halting-place, and we are siill 

 on the banks of the river. There is a post- 

 chanoino- station close bv, and from here bullocks 

 are used for the post-cart instead of mules. This 

 is on account of the dreaded horse sickness. . . . 

 AVc crossed the ]\la]ialopsie River this afternoon. 

 There "sras no water in it, sinijDly a dry, sandy 

 bottom. jMackay and I were walking across to- 

 "■ether when he drew mv attention to two 

 depressions in the sand in the middle of the river- 

 bed. These were about a couple of yards in 

 diameter and a couple of feet deep. " See," said 

 Mackay, '' some one has been digging for water 

 here. I'll bet there is water about a foot deeper. 

 I'll show vou." He then commenced dio-gino; 

 vigorously Avith his hands and shovelling the sand 

 out. Sure enough, about a foot deeper, water 

 flowed into the hole. "That's worth knowinir," 

 said he, and we proceeded on our waA\ 



Tuesdaij, June 2ord. — Inspanned at 1 a.m., and 

 trekked out twelve miles, making with last night's 

 trek about tAventy miles from our last outspan. 



K 2 



