SOUTHERN AFRICA. j211 



'Imfoohoo, the hippopotamus^ whilst it nearly thl•e^^' the old 

 man into fits^ elicited the observation that I " undoubtedly 

 took very . strong medicme /" After some other equally 

 sapient remarks^ the peer arose, and reminding- us of his 

 sovereig-n's caution to return by Kuruman if we visited him 

 ag'ain, which he trusted we would, took leave of us in the 

 usual manner, and set out on his return, carrying- tlie 

 Jjrown jug' in his own hand. 



We forthwith continued our journey to the south-east- 

 ward with renewed spirits, passing- throug-h the mountains 

 b}^ the opening* described in a former chapter, and arri\ ing-, 

 with some hair-breadth escapes, at one of our former sta- 

 tions, on the south side of the rang*e. The next day, our 

 route lying* across a belt of hillocks, with man}" steep accli- 

 vities, over which the unwieldy wag*g*ons toiled with infinite 

 difficulty, our prog-ress was repeatedly dela3-ed by the break- 

 ing* of one of the tow-ropes ; the half-starved dog's of the 

 savag-es, which not unfrequently de\-oured the vcldfscoen, or 

 untanned leather shoes of our followers, having*, at our last 

 station, g*nawed throug-h some of the strands. A larg-e herd 

 of Avild buffaloes being* observed at a little distance, my 

 companion and myself mounted our horses, and soon des- 

 patched a splendid bull. Whilst several of the follo\\ers 

 were employed in flaying* the animal, we returned to the 

 wag'g'ons, and sent Andries with a pack-horse for the hide, 

 of which a new treh-toiim was to be manuftictured. He 

 presently returned at speed, to acquaint us that Piet had 

 been badly wounded in the leg' by the accidental discharg-e of 

 a g'un ; and 'Ling'ap, who accompanied him, after pointing* 

 with breathless dismay to a hole perforated by the same 

 bullet throug'h his own shield, proceeded to a minute practi- 

 cal illustration of the affair, by placing- Andries' clumsy 

 piece ag'ainst a tree in such a way, that it also fell down, and 

 was discharg'ed, but fortunately, without doing* further mis- 



r 2 



