200 MATABELE LAND. 
delight, a large packet of letters awaiting him from 
England. After the harass and annoyance of his 
recent experiences, he was glad to rest here for a 
while, and was comfortably quartered the chief part 
of his stay in the house usually occupied by Piet 
Jacobs, the Dutchman, who was now absent in the 
hunting veldt. This house was cool and airy, with 
a thatched roof extending far on every side, so as to 
form a verandah. 
The following entries in his Journal, soon after 
his arrival, relating mostly to natural history subjects, 
may here be read with interest. He writes : — 
" September 20th. — Rather windy, but pleasant 
day, after a cold night. I liked my new quarters. 
. . . To-night, as last night, sat at Brown's talking. 
We discuss some questions in natural history. . . . 
"Wild dogs have been discussed. Dobie has 
seen them in packs, he says, variegated in colour, with 
white patches here and there, differently placed in 
different animals. Brown has seen them, and says 
they are like what he imagines a European wolf to 
be — and I think he has a good idea what the latter 
is like. Johnson says that, when coming here, he 
saw a hare run against the waggon wheel when they 
were outspanned at the Shashe, and kill herself ; and 
by the light of the fire he saw distinctly, standing 
twenty or thirty yards off", a wild dog. He says it 
was a good deal like a European wolf — an animal 
he knows — with a fine coat and bushy tail, upright 
ears, I think, and a long nose. Brown says they 
often run pallah into the station here, when the 
