102 EXPEDITION INTO 



him. Three more rhmoceroses were added to the list on om* 

 way to the Massellaii river, which flowing* throug'h the moun- 

 tains joins the Ling-kling', a tributary to the Limpopo. 



Althoug'h said to be very expert in following- the tracks of 

 wild animals, the Hottentots are far less skilful than the 

 Asiatics, and I not unfrequently eclipsed them myself. 

 Piet was the most accomjilished in wood-craft, and besides 

 being" possessed of considerably more nerve, was the only 

 one of our followers upon whom I could depend for any 

 assistance in the field. The rest were ready enoug-h to g*o 

 out, that they mig'ht obtain a supply of ammunition, and 

 g*ain a pretext for evading* their other duties j but their natu- 

 ral indolence extending- itself even to their recreations, they 

 never hesitated to abandon me at their convenience, in order 

 to divert themselves with the more common species of g-ame, 

 which could be circumvented with little exertion. The 

 savag-es never accompanied us be3^ond the carcase of the 

 first larg-e animal slain, upon which having* g'org-ed to re- 

 pletion, they fell fast asleej) over the fire. 



On the 5th November, we followed the traces of elephants 

 along- the side of the mountains for miles, throug-h stupen- 

 dous forests, all the Hottentots excepting- Piet dropping- in 

 the rear in succession, either to solace themselves with a 

 pipe, or to expend their ammunition upon ig-noble g-ame. 

 Time not permitting- us to continue the search, we descended 

 into a valley, bent upon the destruction of a roan antelope,* 

 a larg-e herd of which rare animals were quietly g-razing*. A 

 pair of white rhinoceroses opposed our descent, and being- 

 unwilling- to fire at them, we had some trouble in freeing- 

 ourselves from their company. A larg-e herd of wild swine,t 

 or as Indians term it, a sounder of hog-, carrying- their long- 



* Aigocerus Equina. Delineated in the Portraits of Game and Wild 

 Animals of Southern Africa, 

 t Phaseocharus Africanus. 



