302 ADVENTURES IN SOUTH AFRICA. 



tries to keep watch on either sicte of him. My dinner 

 consisted of a piece of flesh from the temple of the ele- 

 phant, -vraioh I broiled on the hot embers. In the con- 

 flict I had lost my shirt, which was reduced to stream- 

 ers by the wait-a-bit thorns, and all the clothing that 

 remained was a pair of buckskin knee-breeches. 



The night was very cold, it being now the dead of 

 the African winter. Having collected dry grass, I 

 spread it beside my fire, and lay down for the night 

 with no other covering than an old sheep-skin which I 

 had used for a saddle-cloth. Shortly after I had drop- 

 ped asleep, Mutchnisho, commiserating my bare condi- 

 tion, spread an old jackal kaross over me. This kaross, 

 as all Beohuana garments are, was thickly tenanted 

 by small transparent insects, usually denominated lice. 

 These virulent creatures, probably findmg my skin 

 more tender than that of the owner of the kaross, seeqj- 

 ed resolved to enjoy a banquet while they could ,• and 

 presently I awoke with inly whele body so poisoned and 

 inflamed that I felt as if attacked with a severe fever. 

 All furthisr rest that night was at an end. I returned 

 the kaross to Mutchuisho, with grateful acknowledg- 

 ments for his polite intentions ; and pUirig dry wood on 

 the foe, which emitted a light as bright as day, I aroused 

 the slumbering Kleinboy to assist me in turning my. 

 buckskins outside in, when an animating " chasse" 

 commenced, which terminated in the capture of about 

 fourscore of my white-currant colored visitors. I then 

 lit another fire opposite to tiie first, and spent the re- 

 mainder of the night squatted between tlie two, thus 

 imbibing caloric before and behind. 



As the sun rose on the morning of the 25th, Mut- 

 chuisho gave the word to cut tip the elephant, when a 

 scene of blood, iloise, and turmoil ensued which baffle.'^ 



