HYjENAS—AN ox attacked. 35 
water near for miles. You may imagine the luxury 
of a bath, under such circumstances, out of the 
question. There are two men here who have been 
very kind, one sending us milk twice a day — and, 
I can assure you, milk is exceedingly scarce. The 
country is most uninteresting ; nothing to see but 
thick bush, composed chiefly of low thorn-trees 
with immense spikes, which hold you fast if you get 
amongst them. 
" The only pleasant part of the day is from sun- 
rise (about half-past six) to half-past eight. After 
that, the less you do the better until 5 p.m., when it is 
moderately cool again. At half-past six it is dark. 
The flies are a perfect plague all day, and get into 
everything. Towards the end of October there are 
some heavy thunder showers, and then summer be- 
gins, but the regular rains don't fall until November. 
There are great numbers of hyaenas and jackals, 
which prowl about the waggons all night. Last 
night one of Buckley's oxen was ill, and the hyaenas 
knowing it attacked him, and this morning we found 
they had actually eaten part of him alive. Of course 
the poor brute had to be shot. Unfortunately the 
hyaena escaped, though fired at by Buckley's driver. 
The people are very glad when anybody shoots 
these animals, as they are constantly killing goats, 
and sometimes oxen. They are, however, so wary, 
that it is difficult to get them. 
" Mr. Nelson, the manager of the mine, lent 
us some newspapers up to the 24th of May, the 
latest news we have seen from Entrland. He also 
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