48 ADVENTURES IN SOUTH AFRICA. 



whei-e we last had seen the " Tootla." Having pro- 

 ceeded a short distance through the forest, I again dis- 

 covered him within a hundred yards of me. He prov- 

 ed to be a young bull, and led me a severe chase over 

 very heai^ ground. Toward the end I thought he was 

 going to beat me, and I was about to pull up, when 

 suddenly he lowered his tail, by which I knew that his 

 race was run. Urging my horse, I was soon alongside 

 of him, and with three shots I ended his career. Hav- 

 ing obtained for the present both flesh, and water, my 

 next look-out was to consider how I w^s to cross the 

 sandy desert which lay between me and the kraal of 

 Booby. It was very evident that I could not return 

 by the route I had previously held, having already as- 

 certained that that country to ox- wagons was now im- 

 passable, all the waters being dry. 



On explaining this to my Bamangwato followers, 

 MoUyeon stated that he had once traversed that coun- 

 try in a dry season many years before, and that he and 

 his comrades had obtained water in some deep pits, 

 which had been excavated by Bakalahari in a rocky 

 part of the desert, considerably to the eastward of my 

 former route. He said we should require the greater 

 part of two days to reach this water, our route thithei 

 lying across a soft sandy soil, varied in many places by 

 almost impenetrable forest; he, moreover, seemed a 

 little doubtful as to whether he should be able to dis- 

 cover the place, and, when we did, whether the pits 

 might not prove dry. This was certainly a bright 

 look-out, more especially as the next water (which he 

 represented as a perpetual fountain) was two days be- 

 yond the uncertain pits. 



On the 28th I was occupied about the wagons all the 

 day, putting sundry things to rights. T had thoughts 



