60 THE BONDS OF AFRICA 



spirit, and that the kopjes all around were 

 haunted by ghosts and wraiths. The " Bo'sun " 

 also informed us that we were getting into 

 country where water was very scarce, and that 

 we should all be very thirsty before the next 

 nightfall. 



The old man was quite right. Up to Chafiga's 

 we had little or no trouble with water; indeed, 

 we often remarked on the generous manner in 

 which Nature had endowed Eastern Mashonaland 

 with rivers. But the day after we left that 

 picturesque village water troubles began. At 

 first we had some more stiff climbing through 

 rugged gorges to do. Here baboons sat on the 

 gaunt rocks and gruffly barked at us as we 

 passed. We met some native monkey-catchers 

 with big nets. They informed us that " n'yama- 

 zaan " (wild game) was scarce, and that they 

 were out on a food-hunting expedition. In East 

 Africa I had met a N'Dorobo who professed to 

 be fond of lion meat, but I had never before 

 heard of natives eating monkeys ! This fact is 

 interesting, as showing how low the African 

 native will prostrate himself before the shrine 

 of meat. Shortly after meeting the baboon- 

 hunters a heated argument arose among our 

 natives as to the route we should take. The 

 M'Tokos protested that if we went the path 

 Julius advocated we should die of thirst. Julius 

 replied that the road advised by the M'Tokos 

 meant parched throats and a terrible and linger- 

 ing death ; a truly pleasing prospect altogether ! 

 Whose counsels prevailed I know not, but at 

 length some route or other was agreed on, and 

 L. and I marched on, it must be confessed, not 

 without a considerable amount of anxiety. We 

 reached a small village at mid- day, and the 



