SOUTH AND EAST AFRICA. 35 



is as well to leave the purchase of the entire span to some reputable 

 firm, or better still to the Boer conductor of the expedition. 



The great advantage of trekking with oxen is that, in ordinary 

 circumstances, they can be disposed of at the end of a trip for 

 practically what was given for them. The same applies to the 

 wagon and trek-gear. 



Rate of Travel by Ox-wagon. A good span of oxen will draw 

 a fully laden wagon over almost any kind of track at an average 

 speed of 2 ! / 2 miles an hour. 



The duration of the single trek is from 3 to 4 hours and two 

 treks are generally made per diem when trekking by day only; 

 the average rate of progression being about 15 miles. When 

 travelling day and night, as is often necessary in dry waterless 

 country, where most of the trekking should be done at night, much 

 more rapid progress is made. Thus, one of the writers in July, 1910, 

 traversed the dreaded 80-mile thirst between Gasamas and Nuragas 

 in the sand-veld of the North Eastern Kalahari (Grootfontein 

 District, South West Africa) with two wagons in three days and 

 two nights, without any of the oxen being the worse for the trip. 

 The actual trekking time was 32 hours, which works out at exactly 

 2'/j miles per hour. The day treks averaged 3 hours and the night 

 treks 4 hours. 



When starting on a long trip through waterless country it is 

 important to remember that oxen drink at midday. The trek should 

 accordingly be begun in the afternoon after giving tin- animals a 

 couple of hours to ruminate. By starting early in the morning, as 

 is often done, 18 hours are added to the period that the oxen 

 have to do without water. When, after traversing a thirst, water 

 is eventually approached care should be taken to outspan the oxen 

 long before it is reached, as the poor half-maddened animals have 

 been known to dash a wagon to pieces on scenting water after 

 being without it for three or four days. 



Donkeys. Donkeys are if anything even hardier than oxen but 

 are slower and not so satisfactory in sandy country. A good span 

 of twenty will easily pull a load of 5000 Ibs. at an average speed 

 of from l'/ 2 to 2 miles an hour. Apart from the fact that they 

 are harnessed to th- trek chain instead of being yoked to it the 

 tr<-k gear and general equipment of don ^j.-.i-t i- identical 



with that for ox transp< 



Donkeys are immune to horse sickness and also largely immune 



