142 INFORMATION ABOUT THE ROAD. [chap. v. 



not long before he had sent men who stole Mr. Hahn's 

 cattle. After a great deal of expostulation had passed 

 he condescended to return them, but cut their tails off 

 before doing so, and kept them as trophies. 



I asked Kaliikene about the country ahead, and he 

 gave me much information very concisely and well ; his 

 intellect and manner contrasted most strongly with 

 those of the other Damaras. Indeed a chief over 

 many men, whether savages or not, must have some- 

 tliing in him, or he could never keep them together. 

 He said that he used to send trading excursions to the 

 Ovampo, but not by Omanbonde, and to quite a 

 different part of their country to that which I proposed 

 visiting. His trading parties kept alongside but far 

 from the sea. There were different points on the route 

 from which it could be seen. The joxu-ney to the 

 Ovampo occupied two months (moons). The men 

 stayed one month there and then returned. The 

 Damaras were friendly along that route, and so were 

 they at Omanbonde, but between where we then were 

 and Omanbonde, Omagunde's tribe cut off aU commu- 

 nication. He said that the road was very broken, and 

 that I should never get my waggons along it. 



An incident occurred in wliich Kahikene behaved 

 very well to me. One morning three of my best front 

 oxen and another slaughter ox were gone. They were 

 instantly spoored, and the tracks of Damaras driving 

 them found by their sides. I called Kahikene up and 

 told him that I did not for a moment beheve that he 

 was privy to the theft, but that they were taken from 

 me when under his protection, and that he must get 



