76 BREAKING THEM IN. [chap, iil 



miles between the two places in a day and a half, which 

 is very fair travelling for an ox. 



I found everything in order under Andersson's 

 management. I heard that the night I left them some 

 lions were roaring in the most awful manner close 

 round the encampment. They seemed to be trying to 

 get at the mules, who luckily did not break loose. The 

 men were excessively frightened, as well they might 

 be, for they could see nothing in the dark night, and 

 the Hons could at any moment have leaped over the 

 slight fence into the midst of them. The morning 

 showed their spoors, as they had crawled round, and 

 close to the bushes that made the fence, 



Hans was now formally installed in his office, and 

 the breaking-in of the new oxen for the waggons began. 

 Yokes were borrowed from the missionary, and a heavy 

 tree felled for the animals to draw. The first ox that 

 we lassoed by the leg was very vicious : he threw 

 himself down, and broke his thigh-bone, and I had 

 to shoot him. The next sprained his ankle, and 

 then got savage, and chased everybody, running upon 

 three legs. He at length took refuge among some 

 thick dabby bushes, which were thronged with hornets, 

 and, what between the mad charges of the animal and 

 the stings of the hornets, we were fairly beaten off, and 

 had to leave him the whole day by himself. 



This was a bad beginning ; but after infinite labour 

 three or four were inspanned : they were caught, 

 then made fast between two tame oxen, and there 

 yoked. The same operation was repeated for a few 

 days ; but we did not make much progress, the animals 



