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 (Angiicd, 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 
4 of the assegais, and crawled three miles on hands and knees to 
_ afriendly 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 
Pociginnl 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 
ip entity: The position Secomi had placed himself in- with 
2 _ Fespect 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 
4 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, 
T gave the order to trek, and the faces of the Ba-Mungwato 
_ werea sight to see. Throughout the preliminary operations 
_ they had watched us eagerly, believing us ignorant of the trap 
0 which we had been inveigled, and hoping that we should 
haye attacked us, but their feelings would have been relieved 
our disappointment and the success of their arrangements. 
he bird had, however, seen the snare and escaped out of the 
