204 THE PARENT TREE. [chap. vii. 



England. I suppose I have been unfortunate ; but 

 though I have taken some trouble to see good practice, 

 not only with bows and arrows, but also with rifles, 

 I have never witnessed performances that approached 

 to the accuracy which shooters often profess to attain, 

 although I certainly have seen lucky shots made, and 

 indeed have made them myself. Andersson made a 

 beautiful one at an ostrich in Damara-land. The bird 

 was standing 280 j^ards from him, in a thick but 

 rather low cover, which concealed its body, while its 

 neck stood high, in bold rehef. Andersson stallved 

 up to within that distance, but as the creature was 

 alarmed, and the ground immediately in front was 

 exposed, he could not get nearer. He aimed, of 

 course, high up the neck, intending to hit the body, but 

 the elevation was a little too great, yet the aim proved 

 so perfect, that he shot him dead through the neck. 



Katondoka was sent on to tell Nangoro the news of 

 the approach of the caravan, and to carry a message 

 from me to him ; and now came our hardest stage of 

 all. It was nineteen hours' actual travel, and told 

 cruelly on the oxen ; for they were weak, and had been 

 badly oft for grass on the road. We crossed the flat in 

 four hours, keeping close by its easternmost margin ; 

 to the west it widened out, and stretched to the far 

 horizon. Four hours from the north border of the 

 flat we passed a magnificent tree. It was the parent of 

 all the Damaras. The caravan stojoped awhile, and 

 the savages danced round and round it in great delight. 

 We slept without water. In the morning we had 

 some delays with the oxen, but travelled from early 



