CHAPTER V. 



Personnel. — Commissariat. — Daily Allowances. — Start on the Expedition. — 

 Damara Obtuseness. — Inability to Count. — Information witKheld. — 

 KaMkenfe sends to us. — Arrive on the high Table-Land. — Superstitions 

 on Food. — Meet Kahikene. — His DiiEciilties. — Grives me Advice. — 

 Information about the Road. — ■ Four Oxen Stolen. — The Culprits 

 are Punished. — Recognising Lost Oxen. — Hear of another Road. — 

 Reach Omatako. — African Puma. — Eshuameno. — Chipping the Front 

 Teeth. — View from the Hill. — Ja Kabaca. — Climb Omuvereoom. — 

 A Snake. — Seriously obstructed by the Thorns. — Reach Otjironjuba. — 

 How to make Soap. — We catch some Bushmen. — Learn a little and 

 travel on. — Doubts about our route, — Arrive at a Weift. — Are 

 guided onwards. — OmanbondS. — ^Hippopotami. 



The morning of March the 3rd found us packed up, 

 and starting for our exploring journey. We tugged 

 along the heavy Swakop sand, and outspanned after 

 three hours at a fountain, passing at length into a 

 country wliich, I believe, no European eye had ever 

 before witnessed. 



I may now review our caravan : it consisted of two 

 waggons, both filled with things ; the large one had a 

 solid deck over all, and was curtained into two com- 

 partments ; Andersson slept in the front one and I in 

 the back if the ground was wet. Spare guns were 

 lashed inside this waggon, and canvass bags for books 

 and for other etceteras, but we could never make the 



