196 MATABELE LAND. 
" The river here," writes the traveller at the 
latter point, " flows to the south through a deep 
sandy bed, kopjes hemming it in on either side. 
The scenery is remarkably pretty for South Africa, 
and the long reach of river flowing away to 
the southward is an object to attract the eye. The 
water actually runs in the bed here, though there 
is far more sand than water, and big stones 
than either. Stoffel says there used to be plenty of 
elephants here. This was the place where they 
passed through the kopjes on their way south, and 
last year he and Garland saw fresh spoor here. Out 
with rifle down river ; pretty little grassy parks 
amongst the kopjes, and on the kopjes themselves 
very thick bush. The river where we have struck 
it — the ' poort ' as Stoffel calls it — would be a pretty 
subject for a sketch." 
Again pushing forward the following and two 
next succeeding days, still by the same route already 
traversed, Frank Oates once more reached — on 
August 1 8th — the first kraal of the Makalakas, the 
former scene of so much trouble and vexation to 
him. A few days previously it had chanced that 
Stoffel had slightly hurt his finger, and here, as it 
began to give him pain, they waited a week before 
proceeding further from all reach of help, to see 
what course the injury would take. Supplies of corn 
had here to be obtained, and the interval of waiting 
was occupied, partly in striking bargains with the 
natives, and partly in rearranging the contents of the 
waggons, to receive the grain ; neither of them the 
