124 MATABELE LAND. 
by bad weather, and then, as the time of the grand 
dance of the year was approaching, I waited to see 
it. The people come from all the neighbouring 
kraals, and dance and feast for two or three days. 
It is the feast of the first-fruits of the season, and 
Mr. Thomson advised me to stay for it. After this, 
fearful rain again delayed me, and then I had some 
trouble with my men, and dismissed two, and had to 
have the case of a third tried before the king. At 
last, last Monday, I got under weigh once more, with 
a new waterproof tent on my waggon. The journey 
here is about three days under ordinary circumstances, 
but it took me six, in the present heavy state of the 
country and badness of the river drifts. I had many 
sticks in the mud and breakages of my dissel-boom. 
Last night I arrived here, and to-day is Sunday. The 
man to whom I am going to give this letter drove 
my waggon for the last eleven miles. He overtook 
me on the road, and let his own empty waggon go 
on. We were about six hours in accomplishing the 
distance, including delays, but, thanks to his timely 
help, I pulled through. The last river we had to 
cross, the Mangwe, was so swollen that the water 
was up to the men's chests, and looked as if it was 
coming into the waggon. The men who were not 
in the waggon had to catch hold of the oxen's tails, 
or struggle through the stream as well as they could. 
It would have been very unpleasant, especially with 
bad helpless drivers, to have broken my dissel-boom 
in the middle of the river, and I felt very glad when 
safely landed on the bank. 
