THE OKAVANGO RIVER 49 



evening, when the boys were trying to catch the 

 mules, and the said mules — all with their bells on 

 — were running about between the tents, being 

 greatly worried by an almost overwhelming feeling 

 that the thing I ought to do was to crawl to the 

 door of the tent and shoot the bells off the mules 

 as they ran past. 



Misfortunes never come singly, and a strange 

 native, seeing one of my mules in the long grass 

 some distance from the camp, stalked it and shot 

 it with an old Portuguese muzzle-loader under 

 the belief it was u nyamma " — eland or something, 

 I suppose. He had never seen a mule before and 

 knew nothing of my camp. It was maddening, 

 this loss of a good riding mule ; but the poor devil 

 of a native was terribly distressed, and there was 

 nothing to be done. There is an element of 

 humour in the accident, though at the time I 

 completely failed to see it. Along the vleys near 

 this camp, wild duck, evidently migrating from 

 the rivers in the wet season, were in abundance ; 

 and very good eating, too, they proved, as also 

 did the big black and white geese, when not 

 too old. 



As soon as I was sufficiently recovered from the 

 fever, the camp was moved back again towards 

 the Quandoo, about seven or eight miles from 

 Mafoota's. I found I was now reduced to riding 

 an ox, as the only mule that remained had got a 

 terribly sore back after Charlie had ridden her 

 for a day. However, the little black ox which 

 4 



