THE OKAVANGO RIVER 45 



when pointing out a buck they always use the one 

 word " nyamma/' " nyamma." My hunters 

 could never understand what the object was in 

 wanting to shoot lions, and at different times they 

 assured me, '■ Morena, neemai badiko nyamma, 

 badeka nyamma, morena M — " Master, the lion is 

 not meat, is no good for meat, master/' I think 

 their astonishment finally reached its height on 

 the day an old Hon skin was proudly brought 

 into camp by some natives who wished to sell it 

 to me. On my explaining to them that, as I had 

 not shot the lion myself, the skin was of no value 

 to me, and that I did not want it, they were utterly 

 mystified. Probably they were thinking, " He 

 does not want the meat, and now when he can get 

 a skin without any trouble or danger, he does not 

 want that either. What in the name of goodness 

 can he want ? Truly the ways of a white man 

 are mad and inexplicable ! " 



We were now nearing the far south-east corner 

 of Angola, moving towards the point where 

 " three Empires meet," for North- West Rhodesia, 

 Angola, and German South- West Africa all meet 

 at a point somewhere below the confluence of the 

 little Luiyanna with the Quandoo river. It was 

 before we reached Mafoota that we suffered the 

 loss of old Billy — " Billy the pig," to give him his 

 full title. In spite of being tied up all night close 

 to the wagon, Billy had been getting fatter than 

 ever, though only eating grass, and it was but the 

 evening before he died that I remarked to Joe, " I 



