The Journal of a Sporting Nomad 



Massikessi. Here we found three empty huts 

 belonging to some natives ; one I annexed for 

 the use of Weddell and self, the others I gave 

 over to my boys. It was quite a business to get 

 my hut even decently clean enough to sleep in. 

 I turned some boys on to sweeping and generally 

 furbishing up the place, the result being better 

 than I anticipated. I spent but one night here, 

 being anxious to get on to the country where I 

 understood buffalo were to be found. Accordingly, 

 early next morning we made a start, making a 

 line to intercept the River Pungwe, some ten 

 miles away as we walked, but which by following 

 the river would have been more like fifteen miles. 

 We passed a dried-up water-hole on the way. 

 In this place there grew most lovely water- 

 lilies of a deep mauve colour. Some of the seed- 

 pods were more than half ripe, so I picked a few 

 to put in my pocket, hoping that I might on my 

 return to England get some seedling plants. 

 This, however, I failed to do, possibly because 

 the pods were picked before they were ripe 

 enough. I had collected quite a nice lot of 

 flowering plants in my wanderings since leaving 

 Salisbury, planting them in old tins, then putting 

 them in scoff (food) boxes, which I made two of 

 my boys especially responsible for. They carried 

 them on their heads for some hundreds of miles. 

 I eventually brought them to England. Some 

 did fairly well, but an English gardener is often- 



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