the Birds of Ngamiland. 361 



stones between jMorokwen and the INIolopo, and Avhile there 

 we experienced the most terrific timnderstorm I have ever 

 Avitnessed. It came on quite suddenly at 10 o'clock at 

 night on April 5th. Its path was only about three-quarters 

 of a mile broad^ and swept across from west to east. Our 

 camp was^ luckily, only touched by the margin of the storm, 

 or we should certainly have lost some of the oxen and 

 horses. It will give some idea of the severity of the dis- 

 turbance when I say that the next morning the hail-stones, 

 after lying melting on the ground all the night, which was 

 a warm one, were 1^ inches in length. Along the path of 

 the storm the acacia-trees Avere completely stripped of their 

 foliage, boughs as thick as one's finger being cut off as if 

 by a bullet. All the grass and vegetation was beaten 

 dow'u and cut up into short lengths of a few inches. I saw 

 several dead and stunned iurds about, all, curiously enough, 

 being Glossy Starlings; and the river-banks were strewn 

 with dead and crippled frogs. 



Fiom the Molopo River we had a long stretch of desert to 

 cross, fifty miles without water, to a village called Kakia. 

 There is practically no road to follow, only a little-used foot- 

 path, and the bush is very dense all the way. Here, however, 

 the sandy soil being exceptionally hard for the desert, the 

 distance can be traversed in a comparatively short time, and 

 we managed to reach Kakia on the third evening. When 

 travelling in the desert it is necessary to drive the oxen as 

 hard as possible between the various waters, and then give 

 them a few days' rest, at each water-hole to recuperate, as 

 they will not feed when thirsty. Kakia is a miserable spot 

 and particularly lifeless. There is a huge shallow salt-pan, 

 on the north-east side of which is a fairly strong spring of 

 fresh water and a stronger spring of slightly brackish water, 

 near a small Barolong village. The people were all very ill 

 with what was probably a specially malignant form of 

 malaria. There had been many deaths, and we were told 

 that the natives were dying by hundreds further on at 

 Lehutitu, which proved to be true. 



The big pan at Kakia is quite dry during nine months of 



