PREFACE. V 



recommendations. In addition to these, though 

 bordering on slave -producing countries, Ovampo-land 

 is itself exempt from that scourge, and there would 

 be one prejudice the less for Christian teachings to 

 encounter. 



A traveller who, starting with the same views that 

 the Author did, chose to start from Little Fish Bay, 

 or elsewhere, in Benguela, and explore to the east- 

 wards and southwards, would be likely to make a very 

 successful journey. He would find shooting in abund- 

 ance, and have opportunities of learning everj-thing 

 about as highly interesting a race of negroes as is 

 probably to be found in the whole of Africa. The 

 Author's fate certainly led him over a great deal of 

 barren country, and many monotonous days were 

 passed ; still he cannot regret that he undertook the 

 journey, for, besides the enjoyment of robust health 

 in Africa, habits of self-reliance in rude emergencies 

 were acquired, which are well worth possessing, 

 though an English education hardly tends to promote 

 them. 



A question is commonly put to explorers, " Why 

 could you not go further when you had already 

 succeeded in going so far ?" and the answer to this 

 is, that several independent circumstances concur in 

 stopping a man after he has been travelling for a 

 certain time and distance. He must refit, for his 



