SOUTHERN AFRICA. 45 



owner. In the meantime another obtrusive savage deliber- 

 ately seated himself on the pole of the wag-o-on^ from which 

 he refused to move^ althoug-h civilly requested to make way 

 for the oxen. In this posture of affairs I found it neces- 

 sary to resort to personal violence^ which so exasperated him 

 that he sprung- at me, brandishing* his weapons, and exclaim- 

 ing' that I had kicked him on his own premises. The clamour 

 now became fast and furious, and the threatening' attitudes 

 of our assailants oblig"ed us to protrude the muzzles of two 

 or three fowling'-pieces from the wag"g"ons, so as to bear upon 

 their masses — when they instantly dispersed, leaving* us to 

 pursue our journey. 



Mahura and Moselekatse are bitter foes. Shortl}^ after 

 Dr. Smith's expedition arrived at Kuruman, the former, 

 who had carried off several head of cattle fi'om the Mata- 

 bili, expressed his determination of opposing- the Doctor's 

 advance — a threat which he did not however carry into exe- 

 cution. From that period, until within a few days of our 

 arrival at Motito, this boaster, dreading' the veng'eance of 

 Moselekatse, had ig-nominiously concealed himself — now, 

 for the first time, venturing' from his hiding'-place. Before 

 we had proceeded many miles a savag'e, breathless with 

 haste, met us as if by accident, and implored the wag-g'on- 

 drivers to turn back — representing* Moselekatse as highly 

 incensed — and stating* that that prince had attacked a party 

 of farmers with great slaughter, adding that the same fate 

 awaited us if we advanced farther into his territor}". He 

 then decamped, leaving every f\xce blank with dismay. We 

 instantly suspected that the whole was a plot of Mahura's 

 and it had the effect he desired of creating such a panic 

 among the people, that they positively refused to advance 

 another step. Andries was the first to declare this determi- 

 nation, repeating the savage's story with fifty exaggerations 

 of his own, and confidently predicting an attack during the 



