3 i8 AFRICAN NATURE NOTES CHAP. 



round about it, when I saw Tinkarn coming riding 

 back to meet me. " Metsi utin ? " ("Is there 

 water?"), I asked. "Metsi haio " ("There is no 

 water"), he answered; almost immediately adding, 

 " But we shall find water ; I have two Bushmen 

 here who will show us water." From the appear- 

 ance of the grass, it was evident that a heavy 

 shower of rain must have fallen over this part of 

 the country about a month before our arrival, and 

 Tinkarn told me that there must then have been 

 a good supply of water in the Mahakabi vleys, 

 which, however, had been very rapidly sucked up by 

 the intense heat which had lately prevailed. When 

 the Mangwatos' troop of cattle first reached the 

 nearest and biggest vley, there was still a little 

 water in it, but the thirsty beasts just rushed into 

 the shallow pool, and of course soon trampled it into 

 mud. Two Bushmen, however, had been found at 

 the water, who, of course, knew Tinkarn and feared 

 him, as one of Khama's most influential headmen, 

 and these savages reported that heavy rain had 

 fallen farther to the east during the last moon, 

 and thought that a certain vley they knew of would 

 probably still have some water in it. If there should 

 prove to be no water there, said they, they would 

 guide us to the place where the road from Shoshung 

 to Pandamatenka crossed the Luali river. 



It was now past midday, and the heat intense. 

 Our horses, as well as the oxen, had been nearly 

 fortv-ei^ht hours without drinking, but as thev had 



/ O O j 



clone no work during that time, the} 1 were not suffer- 

 ing like the latter animals. However, I did not like 

 to go away with the cattle, and perhaps have to take 

 them right through to Luali, without letting Collison 

 know what had happened, so I sent Miller back to 

 th<- waggons, telling him to give the horse he was 

 riding a few pannikins of water as soon as he got 

 there, as our two largest casks had, I knew, been 



