FRUITLESS SEARCH. 45 



fatigued, for we had ridden sharp, a!id they were faint 

 with thirst, as we were also; but we sought in vain 

 for water in the vleys which had contained it when we 

 last passed through the country. A little before the sun 

 went down we reached three small pools of water left 

 by the recent rains, and here the Hottentots had drunk, 

 and were at that moment hiding in a bush within a 

 hundred yards of me, as I discovered on the ensuing day. 

 I, however, failed to observe them ; and fancying that 

 they had held on to a larger vley, where I had encamped 

 on my way to Bamangwato, we proceeded for that place, 

 and, night setting in, we at length lost our way in the 

 intricacies of the forest. 



Faint, hungry, and thirsty, we now desisted from 

 our fruitless search, and on looking for my matches, I 

 found, to my intense mortification, that I had lost them ; 

 and being on this occasion minus my shooting-belt and 

 rifle, we spent the night without a fire, thereby incur- 

 ring great danger of losing the horses and ourselves by 

 lions. Scarcely had we off"-saddled when two huge rhi- 

 noceroses came up and stood within twenty yards of us, 

 and would not for a long time be persuaded to depart. 

 Some time after I observed a dark-looking object prowl- 

 ing around us, and evidently anxious to cultivate the 

 acquaintance either of ourselves or the horses. It was 

 a hysena. Rising from my comfortless couch, I pelted 

 him with stones, when he took the hint and made off. 

 The horses were completely done up, and when knee- 

 haltered would not feed. One of them, on being ofF- 

 saddled, lay stretched upon the ground, and after a while, 

 on endeavoring to walk, repeatedly rolled over on his side. 



On the 25th I cast loose the horses as soon as it was 

 clear, and ascended to the summit of a pyramidal little 

 hill beside which we had slept, to ascertain from thence 



