EN ROUTE 25 



cobra in Africa : an awful brute with "a head 

 on it like a kangaroo dog." I saw several black 

 Mamba also, very wicked and bad-tempered 

 looking fellows these, and more aggressive than 

 our Australian brown snakes. 



My second Cape boy, David, left us at Tsin- 

 sabis ; he had heard of, or had been stuffed with 

 yarns concerning, the danger ahead of us from 

 lions, bushmen, etc., and wanted to go back, 

 which he did, greatly to Charlie's disgust and 

 amusement. 



We were off as soon as this first water was on 

 the road ; and by camping the wagon and riding 

 ahead myself with a water-bag to find water, we 

 managed to work up across the former dry stage 

 easily enough. As storms were now falling nearly 

 every day, the latter portion of the track to the 

 Okavango became all plain sailing, although in 

 places there was a good deal of work to be done, 

 clearing the track of fallen timber, etc. Our 

 German axe came in for much hearty cursing 

 from all hands, and I heartily wished for a good 

 British one in its place. With all the talk of late 

 years of British manufacturers dropping behind, 

 I am convinced that British-made articles in many 

 departments of industry are still the best in the 

 world. 



The only people we saw all the way to the river 

 were two small parties of bushmen, who bolted 

 with fright immediately they caught sight of us. 

 When we got near the river and were in the 



