Arrival at Mafeking. 



lighter vehicle, which, together with the " spider," 

 was to he taken along from here entirely l)y the 

 company's teams. AVe reached Machudi's not a 

 moment too soon ; our own animals could nothavc^ 

 gone another yard without a rest of sevei-al days. 

 But it seemed as if fote was against us. Tlie river 

 Kotwani here to l)e traversed was found hio-h in 

 flood and j^erfectly impassable, in which state it 

 might remain for a week or more. I went to hed 

 with a heavy heart, anxious about the future of 

 our journey south. In the morning I was cheered 

 by the news that the river had rapidly subsided, 

 and that Mr. Rhodes and liis party, also l:)eing con- 

 veyed ])y the Bechuanaland Exploration Compan}-, 

 had passed us, crossed the river, and gone on in the 

 night. From here we proceeded rapidly and gaily, 

 finding fresh teams of mules every two or three 

 hours, passing through Ga1)erones, a station of the 

 Bechuanaland Border l?olice, where we received 

 the; usual most l^ountiful hospitality, through 

 Ramoutsa, an important post statiou, across 

 beautiful green pastures, through succeeding forest 

 wood and bush, everytliing looking bright and 

 verdant aud glistening, owing to recent heavy 

 rains, through Ramatlabama on to our goal, 

 Mafeking, Avliich we reached in the afternoon of 

 Monday, the 23rd Xo^'ember. 



At ]\Iafeking, Dixon s Hotel, an establishment of 

 the greatest merit, soon enabled us to forget the 

 troubles and fatigues of our long journey of a 

 thousand miles from Fort Salisbury. The railway 

 will soon be extended to this pleasant and atti'activc 



