A ROUGH JOURNEY 157 



recovered except one, who, too exhausted, could not get rid of 

 the deluge inside. He had to be left and once more we only 

 had two pairs to drag the heavy cart along. The odd mule runs 

 alongside one of the other pairs, but does no work. After dark 

 we got safely to the other side, and luckily found at the next 

 station a new team awaiting us. 



Crossing the Kanya hills and the white, glistening quartz reefs 

 showing plainly everywhere, we breakfasted luxuriously soon 

 after at Mr. Williams' hospitable store in Batween's capital, 

 and then left, much refreshed, for Mafeking, where we arrived 

 next morning. All slept soundly at Mr. Isaac's hotel, so 

 soundly that no noise would rouse them. Determined, how- 

 ever, not to lose the rare chance of lying down for two or three 

 hours, we at length discovered a partly open window. Pushing 

 it up we crept through without more delay, risking bravely the 

 possible disagreeable chances of being taken for burglars. We 

 found ourselves in the dining-room and slept soundly, stretched 

 out on the long tables, until awoke by a startled maid not many 

 hours later. Breakfast followed and much talk with the many 

 officers of the new British South Africa Company's Police, who 

 were about to start for Mashonaland, when about nine o'clock 

 our conveyance appeared at the door. It was a newer and 

 slightly larger cart than the last, but crammed full and one 

 extra passenger, ten in all counting the drivers. My friend and 

 I who had already made the long journey from the north, and 

 were the only two going on, had choice of seats, and, of course, 

 took the back corners, and well were we kept there, almost 

 immovably, by a very stout gentleman, who wedged himself in 

 between us and acted alternately as a battering ram and a 

 buffer. Each bench carried three, and the extra passenger 

 reposed on a sack of corn among the drivers' legs in front. 

 Outside and behind were lashed the heavy mail bags and any 

 little baggage there might be ; inside we were so tightly packed 

 that it seemed impossible that even an upset could dislodge us, 

 about this, however, we afterwards changed our opinion. 



No improvement took place in the teams ; we always had six 

 horses, but many of them had to do double stages, and all were 

 in a wretchedly poor condition. Here, again, no steps had 

 been taken to fill up the many vacancies caused by the sickness 

 and by overwork, and the food of these that were left was not 



