xii A SOAKING SHOWER 237 



of the day, becoming heavier towards evening, so 

 that by the time we reached the little kraal where 

 we intended to pass the night, I was pretty damp, 

 though not exactly wet through. With the aid of 

 a big fire, however, I got my things dry again before 

 nightfall, and spent a comfortable night in a clean 

 native hut. 



During the night it rained a good deal, but 

 when day broke no rain was actually falling, 

 although heavy watery-looking clouds were coming 

 up fast from the south. Taking advantage of the 

 temporary respite, I managed to get my traps 

 packed up, and my unwilling porters under way, 

 as I knew that I should not be able to persuade 

 them to start if rain were actually falling. We had 

 not proceeded far, however, before being caught in 

 a soaking shower, which soon wetted me to the 

 skin, as, not expecting rain, I had not brought a 

 waterproof coat with me, and was only lightly clad. 

 There was nothing for it but to push on to Mr. 

 Wissels's store. It proved to be farther off than 

 I had anticipated, as it was one o'clock before 

 Longman and I arrived there, whilst my lady 

 porters did not turn up until three hours later, 

 in a very bedraggled condition. 



During the morning's walk we had passed a 

 large fresh-water lake or lagoon, on which there 

 were numbers of spur-winged geese, one of which 

 I should have tried to shoot for food, had I not 

 been so cold and wet that my one idea was to 

 reach Mr. Wissels's store as soon as possible. After 

 passing the lagoon we crossed a broad marshy 

 plain, where I saw three reedbucks, and also the 

 spoor of two waterbucks, which I am afraid are 

 almost the last of their species in this part of the 

 country, where not many years ago these animals 

 must have been very numerous. On at length 

 reaching the store, I found that the white man 



