324 AFRICAN NATURE NOTES CHAP. 



as well as the horse that Miller had ridden, as 

 they would go on to Klabala with Tinkarn, 

 but our waggons would in that case have to remain 

 standing in the desert with no one to look after 

 them for several days at least. This would be 

 known to the two Bushmen who had guided us 

 to the Luali, and be communicated by them to 

 other Bushmen, who, I feared, might rob the 

 stranded waggons before I could get back to them 

 with fresh cattle from Shoshong. 1 



I soon made up my mind what to do. Shoshong 

 itself was about sixty miles from where I then was 

 at the crossing of the Luali river, and there was 

 a good waggon track leading to it, so I resolved 

 to ride there that night, borrow four spans of 

 bullocks either from the white traders living on 

 the station or from Khama, and after getting 

 something to eat, start back with them at once 

 on the desert road by which we had been travelling 

 from the Botletlie river. Should my oxen have 

 found water, and after having drunk, been driven 

 back to the waggons on the night of the 27th, I 

 should meet them on the road, and no harm would 

 have been done ; whilst, on the other hand, should 

 the worst have happened, and our four spans of 

 bullocks and the poor herd-boys prove to have 

 succumbed to thirst, heat, and fatigue, I should 

 be able to reach our waggons before they had 

 been long deserted, and take them into Shoshong 

 with the spans that had been lent to me. 



Sixty miles, much of it in heavy, sandy ground, 

 is a good long ride, so I resolved to take my 

 friend's horse " Big Bles," a very powerful animal, 

 in excellent condition. My own horse " Bob" I 

 entrusted to Tinkarn, and sent Dick back to the 

 waggons with him also. 



The full moon was just rising as I bade good- 



1 The chief town of Khama's people, the Bamangwato. 



