SECOND EXPEDITION TO SOUTH AFRICA 97 



the opposite bank of a small stream, which here ran into the 

 Limpopo, I saw two waggons unmistakably Dutchmen's. I was 

 disgusted enough that anyone should dare to come poaching 

 on our manor. But what was to be done ? They were many, 

 nine or ten, and we were but two. After breakfast one of my 

 Hottentots, who had been herding the oxen in the direction of 

 the Boers' waggons, brought a message, or rather an order, 

 that I was to go over to them. I returned for answer that if 

 they wanted anything they could come to us. They took it 

 quite in good part, and about ten o'clock, after ascertaining 

 from my boys of what our party consisted, seven or eight of them 

 crossed the stream and made their way up to our camp, having 

 the good taste to leave all their roers behind. We had a 

 friendly chat, coffee and tobacco playing a considerable part 

 in it, and filling up the gaps in my rather incomplete Dutch. 

 Dear old Frank could never be induced to believe that Dutch 

 was anything but bad English, and would occasionally put in a 

 word or two of this latter in the worst grammar and pronuncia- 

 tion he could improvise. We smoked and we drank coffee, and 

 we were amicable exceedingly, when one of my guests chanced to 

 see the ivory under the waggon. They all got up to look at 

 it where did it come from? who shot it? I said I had, and 

 during the last few days. Alone ? Yes, alone. ' That must be a 

 lie. A poor lean fellow like you could never have shot such a 

 splendid lot of tusks.' They appealed to my drivers for the truth, 

 and when we returned to our coffee-pot, made an astonishingly 

 liberal proposal that I should join and shoot with them, and 

 take half the ivory killed by the whole party. They were in 

 earnest, and I had the greatest difficulty in getting off ; but I 

 have reason to believe it was through the account of these 

 Boers, and of another party I met at Livingstone's station at 

 Mabotse, that I received the most courteous message from 

 Proetorius, who was then their chief, that he hoped I would 

 visit Mahalisberg, and that I should find a hearty welcome 

 throughout Boerland. They had a wholesome dread of traders, 

 who for ivory might supply the natives with muskets and am- 

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