146 BIG GAME SHOOTING 
kindness, he sent a fat ox, and, ‘‘‘ Would you believe it? they 
returned it, saying they didn’t eat ox.” ‘Then what do you 
eat?” I asked ; “we like beef better than anything.” “We 
eat men,” said they. I had never heard of this before. But 
they were very pressing, so at last I sent them two slaves of 
Macobas —the river people—who, as you know, are very dark 
in colour, but they brought them back, saying they did not 
like dfack men, but preferred the redder variety, and as that 
meant sending my own fighting men, I told them they might go 
without altogether.’ This was the only intimation we ever had 
that cannibalism existed in our part of Africa. 
This chief afterwards died close to our waggons from pneu- 
monia set up by the irritation of some old spear wounds in his 
chest. He was beloved by the Makololo, was the fastest runner 
and best fighter among them ; just, though stern, with wonder- 
ful power of attaching men to him. He was a gentleman in 
thought and manner, well disposed to Europeans, and very 
proud of their visiting him. Had he not died he might have 
been of the greatest use in civilising and missionary work. 
His kingdom has, I am afraid, melted away. The sceptre de- 
scended to his daughter, who thought, as man took a plurality 
of wives, a queen might allow herself like liberty in the way 
of husbands. Bickering and strife arose, and though the rule 
went to her brother after her resignation, he was not of the 
same calibre as his father, and disintegration of the heterogene- 
ous elements of the carefully put together and wisely ruled 
kingdom soon set in. The nation lost its unity, and resolved itself 
into its separate nationalities—in the course, I believe, of a very 
few years. Such has been the fate of all African kingdoms ; 
one great man has made and held them together, and at his 
death they have returned to the several petty tribal royalties out 
of which they were welded. 
And now, having had my say on Big Game, one word on 
the ‘biggest beasts’ of Africa—the slave traders—and one on 
the country, and I have done. It was on the Chobé that we 
first came across the slaver’s work. We had travelled all night 
