LATER VISITS TO SOUTH AFRICA 135 



away the clay, which has by this time under the dry heat 

 become as hard as a brick, and madame and her family make 

 their debut. The poor monsieur is a rickle of bones, madame 

 as round as a ball ; the Kafirs, knowing this, always dig her 

 out as a tit-bit whenever they find the nest. And what's it 

 done for ? An African wood is filled with all sorts of cats, 

 and without a protection the toucan (that's not right, but let it 

 stand) family would soon be improved off the earth, for a hole 

 in a tree comes handy to a cat ; but the clay very soon gets 

 too hard for his claws, and the bird hatches in security. Now 

 come with me towards a Kafir kraal, such as those of the Ba- 

 Quaina or Ba-Wangketsi, permanent tribes. We walk through 

 the outskirts ; there's our friend the toucan again, but there's 

 his wife too, and they keep alternately flying to and from that 

 hole in the tree, out of which many gaping mouths are pro- 

 truded at each visit. They are the same birds, but the house- 

 door is open. Within a radius of five to six miles of every 

 large kraal no cat exists. The Kafirs kill everything that runs 

 upon four legs for food or clothing, the best carosses are made 

 of cat-skins (I have one with thirty-six pussies in it), and the 

 i>irds have found this out instinct ? or reason ? 



I wandered on at my leisure, and on my return from the higher 

 reaches of the river unexpectedly came upon the waggons of 

 Mr. Webb, of Newstead Abbey, and Captain Shelley, and a com- 

 panion who, I believe, was travelling with them and trading 

 on his own account. We exchanged friendly greetings, they 

 going towards the Lake, I homewards. I was returning earlier 

 than need be, for I was very nearly run out of lead, and though 

 I knew they were amply provided I had not the face to ask 

 them for metal more valuable than gold in the middle of Africa. 

 Next morning, however, I shot three elephants, and it occurred 

 to me that I might exchange their tusks for lead with Mr. 

 Webb's companion, and I accordingly sent John on horseback 

 with a note to Mr. Webb, asking him to mediate for me, and 

 telling him John would put his Kafirs on our tracks from the 

 elephants and they might run heel, and take the tusks out. 



