HER MAJESTY'S MISSION TO MATABELELAND 141 



royal " V.R." and crown in gold. It was somewhat overloaded 

 with baggage, which had been arranged round the sides, on 

 the roof, and behind, while a canteen dangled underneath, in 

 happy ignorance of all the stumps and stones waiting to make 

 impressions upon it on the road. We started on our long 

 journey to Bulawayo, the Matabele capital, 850 miles away, 

 with the good wishes of our new friends, who all hoped that 

 we would soon shake down. This process commenced at once 

 and continued for many days. It was very pleasant travelling, 

 and the climate most beautiful. A cool breeze tempered the 

 heat of the day, while the nights were delightful, making sleep 

 in the open most enjoyable. Our road lay over the regular 

 post-cart route to Palapye, Khama's Mangwato capital, 650 

 miles from Kimberley. During the first part of the journey 

 we stopped for meals at the regular halting-places, generally 

 traders' stores, afterwards in the veldt, where we prepared our 

 own food and enjoyed it doubly, while the mules had a roll 

 and a feed on the then luxuriant grass. The post-cart takes, 

 according to the time-table, six and a half days' travelling with 

 relays day and night, and did really do so at that time under 

 the excellent management of Mr. Burnett. However, after- 

 wards our experience was very different. We passed through 

 Vryburg, capital of British Bechuanaland, the seat of the 

 Administrator, Sir Sidney Shippard, K.C.M.G., a wretched 

 town of a few scattered houses, but possessing a gold mine in 

 the hotel bar. After some delay we reached Mafeking, in the 

 Protectorate, six miles from the Transvaal border. Small at 

 present it was only created during Sir Samuel Warren's time 

 this town is certain to have a great future before it as a 

 forwarding centre on the road north to the countries about to 

 be opened out, Matabele and Mashonaland. It will be a station 

 on the new railway now being constructed from Kimberley 

 towards the Zambezi, of which the first section is about to be 

 opened. Already large godowns are springing up, and the 

 Standard Bank of South Africa has lately opened a branch 

 office ; in fact, everybody is preparing for a very busy time. 

 An excellently supplied market is held every morning, every- 

 thing, however, being sent in from the adjacent Transvaal. 

 There is an extraordinary want of enterprise, it seemed to us, 

 among the Europeans in Bechuanaland. Nowhere do they 



