146 HEAR OF ANOTHER ROAD. [chap. v. 



the land, be reclaimed at any moment by their former 

 possessors. 



Hans and John Allen were very quick at recollecting 

 oxen : I never could succeed in doing so myself : but 

 it is perfectly essential to a traveller here that some 

 trustworthy i^ersons of his party should be able to pick 

 out his own oxen from any drove in which they have 

 become mixed ; for, depend upon it, the strange 

 Damaras will give no help on those occasions. When 

 fresh oxen are bought, the old ones butt and fight them 

 for a few days before admitting them into their society, 

 and dming the time of probation the new oxen ai'e 

 always trying to run off and get home again. Now the 

 tribe from whom they were bought may be Ijong at 

 eight or ten scattered ki'aals, to any one of which the 

 ox that had been bought but a few hours before and 

 seen for a few minutes only, may have made his escape. 

 He has to be i)icked out from among 500 or 600 head 

 of cattle, and this the Damaras can do with perfect 

 cei'tainty. They do not seem to know the sheep or to 

 care much about them, but their thoughts and conver- 

 sation run upon oxen for the greater part of the day. 



By dint of excessive badgering and cross-questioning 

 I found out that it might be possible after all to turn 

 Omagunde's flank. I had now two or three Damaras 

 who had once been that way, and my men were willing 

 to go on. We bought a few oxen here. Some zebras 

 were shot and given to Kahikene's people. He made 

 a last endeavour to persuade me not to go up the 

 country, but in vain; and we separated with some regret, 

 I going on my journey and he to his hopeless attempt 



