148 Men, Mines, and Animals in South Africa. 



from whence comes its name. Lee I find an ex- 

 cellent companion on tli(! \'el(lt, for, besides his 

 o;rcat s]iootin_u' skill niid ('X])erience, lie jjossesses a 

 lai'ii'e aiiioniit of bush lore in resjx'ct of animals, of 

 trees, and nf plants. Avlii(h be imparts freely and 

 ao:reeal)l\'. Tbese mornino- rides thvono-h the bush 

 have an indescribable charm. The scenery, tbe 

 fresh ail", the bright simshine. and the knoAvledge 

 that YOU may at any moment come upon anything 

 in the shape of game, from a lion or a giraffe down 

 to a pig or a baboon, lends to these excursions a 

 most exhilarating interest. We rejoined the camp 

 about midday on the Umsajbetsi Riyer. From 

 This riyer to the I nizingwani is a long stretch of 

 seyenteen miles without Avater for the oxen. The 

 Umsajbetsi at this time of the vear is only a bed 

 of dry sand, 1 )ut water somewhat brackish is easily 

 obtainable by digging a foot deep in the sand. 

 Captain Williams Avent out shooting in the after- 

 noon, and wounded badly two koodoo cows, but 

 unfortunately both got away. xVt fiye o'clock we 

 inspanned. I find it yery amusing to study the 

 habits of the oxen. In spite of their long horns and 

 somewhat wild, formidable appearance, they are, in 

 reality, to those who haye to driye and manage them, 

 the most docile, patient animals. A stranger, how- 

 ever, would do well to be careful not to go too close 

 either to them or to the mules. These oxen come in 

 in the evening from the veldt in one great troop, 

 driven along by a couple of boys. They range them- 

 selves in spans, as schoolboys at a school range 

 themselves in classes, each span apparently knowing 



