Marriage in Mashonaland. 249 



to which he replied that to buy a very pi'etty wife 

 required seven things, two goats, two blankets, 

 two spades, and some other article to be specified, 

 according to the taste or fancy of the vendor. 

 Tiriki has remained with me till now, and Avill. I 

 hope, before I lea^'e ^lashonaland, be in a position to 

 acquire the Avife he longs for, more especially as he 

 told me he had a girl in his eye who might be bought 

 up before long by some one richer than himself. 



i\_t dawn the next morning I rode out Avith Lee 

 on to the veldt, having instructed our bovs to 

 make a short trek, and outspan at the nearest 

 water and shade. We rode for some three hours 

 across some fine open veldt, much of Avhich was 

 well watered, and appeared to be suital~)le either 

 for grazing or for tillage. A good many farms have 

 been marked out in this neighbourhood, and some 

 actually occu])ied. deserving a solitarv kopje in 

 the distance, we rode towards it, and from the 

 summit searched the surrounding plain with a 

 telescope. In a few minutes we descried a herd of 

 about a dozen hartel^eest, and about half a mile 

 further to the north a nice herd of roan antelope, 

 among Avhich was to be ])erceived a fine old bull. 

 These latter we preferred to chase. As a rule, 

 these large antelope allow the hunter to approach, 

 esiDgciall}^ if he is down wind, within a distance of 

 three or four hundred yards, standing looking curi- 

 ously at him, Thev then make aAvay at a slow 

 pace ; you canter after them quietly, increasing 

 your proxijnitv to them. After going a few hun- 

 dred yards they generally stand and look round 



