A Thousand Miles in a Machilla 



have been the first to arrive. Messenger after 

 messenger was sent back to look for these loads, 

 until it turned out that their carriers were comfort- 

 ably seated in the village, chatting with the local 

 worthies. After three-quarters of an hour or so 

 they kindly consented to come into camp. I need 

 hardly say that they never carried our tents again, 

 and that their connection with our caravan termin- 

 ated at the earliest opportunity. 



That afternoon A went out as usual in 



search of game, but saw absolutely nothing. Dur- 

 ing his absence a number of women from the village 

 paid me a visit. Each brought a present of two or 

 three eggs placed in a small basket, in return for 

 which they asked for beads. Unfortunately, I had 

 very few beads with me, only one small bunch of fine 

 pink ones, that I had bought at Mpika ; these were 

 quickly disposed of, and the women had to be 

 content with calico. We regretted that we had not 

 provided ourselves with a load of beads, as they 

 w^ould have proved very useful during this portion 

 of our journey; they were often asked for, but at the 

 same time it must be remembered that beads are 

 heavy to carry, and expensive to buy. Old tins, 

 empty bottles, or jars were also eagerly seized upon. 



The village chief called soon after, and A , 



who had returned, asked him to provide us with 

 a few porters. He promised to do his best ; in the 

 end, however, none of his people could be induced 

 to go to Broken Hill, though two men volunteered to 

 go as far as Kopas. This addition to our numbers 

 enabled us to discharge two unsatisfactory char- 



176 



