SOUTH AFRICA FIFTY YEARS AGO 73 



ing coffee. Livingstone had sent a very fine old Bechuana 

 fighter with us as a kind of head man, a most dignified superior 

 fellow, by name Syami (Anglice, I believe, 'stand firm'), who 

 had won great renown in many a fight, and once, when wounded 

 badly and left for dead, on coming to had broken off the shafts 

 of the assegais, and crawled three miles on hands and knees to 

 a friendly village, with the irons still in him. This man we put 

 up as our champion, and for an hour and a half did he argue 

 in our interests, speaking with all the untrammelled fluency of 

 uncivilised man. We understood but little of what he said, 

 and that only by signs, not words ; but he was evidently very 

 eloquent. The chief at first would hardly listen to him, but 

 was by degrees brought to treat upon the matter, making sug- 

 gestions as to what presents would be likely to assuage his 

 wrath ; but we firmly refused to budge an inch from our 

 original lines, until he should give us a guide to the next 

 tribe, for after his conduct we told him we were determined 

 not to shoot in his country. There was no active sign of 

 hostility. The position Secomi had placed himself in with 

 respect to the muzzle of my gun, which lay across my knees, 

 exercised perhaps a calming influence ; but he would not help 

 us in any way, and steadily refused guides. We were wearied 

 of the long discussion, and I called to the Hottentots to inspan 

 the oxen and loose the horses ; this operation was watched 

 intently, without remark, by the chief and his followers. I then 

 gave orders to turn the waggons, for I had the night before 

 ascertained the direction of the Bakaa Hills. As the oxen 

 slowly brought the heavy carts round and faced the other way, 

 I gave the order to trek, and the faces of the Ba-Mungwato 

 were a sight to see. Throughout the preliminary operations 

 they had watched us eagerly, believing us ignorant of the trap 

 into which we had been inveigled, and hoping that we should 

 go further on into it. I do not think they would even then 

 have attacked us, but their feelings would have been relieved 

 by our disappointment and the success of their arrangements. 

 The bird had, however, seen the snare and escaped out of the 



