CHAP. IV.] MULES RUN QUITE AWAY. 125 



tliere for a couple weeks, was present. Kahikene sent 

 a very friendly message, and I was quite enough 

 satisfied with what I had done. The raissionaries 

 were highly gratified at my good fortune, and I had 

 great pleasure m sending to Mr. Kolbe the apology 

 and the promise that I had made Jonker write to him. 

 Matters now looked more simshiny. There were 

 nearly 100 oxen in my krail, and 60 or 70 sheep. My 

 waggon driver, who had stolen and who latterly had 

 been insolent, I paid in articles of exchange and dis- 

 missed, Gabriel, at his own wish was left behind. A 

 dozen Damaras agreed to go with us up the country, 

 and Kahikene, our friend, lay in our way. Hans and I 

 rode short exploring excursions to find a road by which 

 we could take the waggon out of the bed of the Swakop, 

 and found one with gTeat difficulty. Andersson then 

 rode a wider sweep to see whether the country away 

 from the Swakop looked open enough for a waggon. 

 He went over a great deal of country, and retm'ned 

 with favourable news in five days, but he hardly saw 

 a Damara, the land was so thinly peopled. We then 

 made ready for our start, though the five mules had 

 run quite away ; they were traced through Barmen 

 and Otjimbingue to Tsobis, a distance of more than 

 100 miles, and there the chase was given up. I may 

 as well anticipate my story and mention that they, or 

 rather three of them, arrived at Scheppmansdorf ; they 

 had crossed the Naanij) plain by instinct. The whole 

 distance these runaways had travelled by themselves, 

 viz., that from Schmelen's Hoj)e to Scheppmansdorf, 

 is eighty-five hours' travel very nearly, which at 



