270 EXPEDITION INTO 



blazing* eye — folio wing' tlieir leader — Hing-ing" out their heels, 

 lashino- their tails, and huttinii- with their horns in so mena- 

 cing- a manner, that I was not unfrequently compelled to 

 strike my colours. 



Our object now being- to recruit our teams and lig-hten the 

 wafrsfons of all redundant stores, we lost not a moment in 

 opening- a winhcl, or shop — proposing* to exchang-e for oxen, 

 either tea, sug-ar, snuft', meal, lead, or g-unpowder. But al- 

 thoug'h these articles were all in especial demand, we found it 

 impossible to neg-ociate by barter — that being* a mode of deal- 

 ing" which, strang-e to say, they appeared quite unable to 

 comprehend. After repeatedly shaking* the wheels of our 

 admirable wag*g"ons, in order to ascertain whether they " ran 

 lig-htl}^," we received manyg*enerous offers of shattered rickety 

 vehicles, with a few indifferent oxen, in exchang-e for them ; 

 but ultimately we found ourselves oblig-ed to refer to our 

 treasur}^, which fortunately still containing* two hundred and 

 fifty rix dollars, we were enabled to purchase a few head of 

 cattle to beg'in with — receiving* back the cash in pa^anent for 

 our wares, and ag*ain disbursing* it for more oxen — until, 

 having* realized the requisite number, we had still ten 

 shillings left in our pockets to carry us to Graaff Reinet. 



In the course of conversation at a tea-party g*iven to the 

 ladies and g*ossips of the Dutch camp, we learned that they 

 had left Colesberg* three months before, and were on their 

 way to join the emig*rants, who were assembled at the head of 

 the Modder river, near the Rev. Mr. Archbell's missionary 

 station at Thaba TJncha, lying* about two days' journey east- 

 ward of the scene of our catastrophe. The men spoke in the 

 most contemptuous terms of Moselekatse, regarding* whom, 

 nevertheless, they were very inquisitive j informing* us that 

 they were awaiting* the return of a connnando under Gert 

 3Iaritz, our Graaff Reinet acquaintance, who had marched 

 some time before to invade the Matabili territories and crush 



