LATER VISITS TO SOUTH AFRICA 133 



stone's station ; but the interview was a short one, as I was 

 inspanned and on the move. Next morning I found all his 

 men, they were Ba-Quaina and knew me, had followed my 

 waggons, and upon my questioning them they said they really 

 could not stay with that white man, as he starved them. They 

 had found him elephants two or three times, but he never 

 killed any ; he only rode after their tails, expecting them to 

 fall off. Of course I insisted on their going back, and shot a 

 rhinoceros on their promise of doing so, just for the present 

 distress. Here was a country swarming with animals, a man 

 with guns and ammunition in abundance, and yet he couldn't 

 ' keep his camp.' I would not blame him for that ; but why 

 did he not give up at once when he discovered, as he must 

 soon have done, his utter incapacity ? My friend Vardon had 

 interviewed him before he started, at the Cape, I afterwards 

 learnt, and asked him what he had come out for. ' To shoot 

 a lion,' he replied. ' Was that all ? ' he was asked ; and he 

 replied, 'Yes; if he did that he should be quite content.' 

 ' You'd better have given zoo/, and shot the one at the Zoo ; 

 it would have been cheaper, less trouble, and less dangerous 

 too.' Poor lad ! he picked up another mate and started on 

 another journey, goodness knows what for ; and on my second 

 return from the Zouga we found his skull with a bullet-hole 

 through it, and some small articles of dress, near an old camp- 

 fire two or three marches only from where we first met. The 

 hyaenas had dragged away the rest of the bones. Rightly or 

 wrongly, his death was attributed to his companion, and strangely 

 enough this man, subsequently joining himself to an expedition, 

 met a similar fate himself. I never could get full particulars 

 of this sad story. 



The way in which, according to the Kafirs, the native dogs 

 worked the alligators on this narrow Zouga River amused us. 

 Three or four of them wished to cross, either for better fare, 

 or to see their friends on the other side ; but, though alligator 

 is very partial to dog, dog is not so fond of alligator. As- 

 sembling on the banks, they would run, barking violently, a 



