128 ADVENTURES IN SOUTH AFRICA. 



dition. I accordingly started for the far interior on the 

 11th of March, and, having resolved to try a short cut 

 through the territories of the chief Mahura, I crossed 

 the Vaal River on the 5th of May, far to i?he eastward 

 of my former track. ^ 



Early on the 7th we entered upon the broad strath 

 through which the Hart River flows. Here we discov- 

 ered a small fountain, where we halted for the night. 

 We marched early on the 8th, holding up the strath 

 parallel with the Hart River. Presently we came upon 

 the largest pack of wild dogs I had ever seen : there 

 were about forty of them. They went off very leisure- 

 ly, and when my dogs chased them tbey turned about 

 and showed fight. We were in motion most of the 

 day ; very large herds of cattle were to be seen pastur- 

 ing on all sides. 



On the 12th we marched before breakfast to wit'. in 

 three miles of Mahura. Having tak^n breakfast, I rode 

 ahead with Ruyter, and called on Mr. Ross, the resi- 

 dent missionary. We walked together to the town, 

 and visited Mahura and his brother ; the expressions of 

 neither of these men were at all in their favor. I told 

 Mahura that I wanted an ox with very large horns, 

 which he promised to provide. He asked me if we 

 were still at war with the Tambookie tribes. He also 

 mentioned that ten men of the Bastards had been shot 

 by Mochesse's natives. Mr. Ross informed me that 

 Mahura was at present meditating war upon a tribe to 

 the northeast, and also that Mochuatra, the chief at 

 Motito, meditated an attack upon Sichely. In the 

 evening my wagons came up, when I directed them 

 to draw up in a grove of cam&el-dorn about a mile be- 

 yond the town. 



The next day Mahura sent a party of men to inquire 



