THE GUIDE'S PERVERSITY. 337 



plan as the common round wire mouse-trap, which has an open- 

 ing surrounded with wires pointing inward. This is made of 

 reeds and supple wands, and food is placed inside to attract the 

 fish. 



Besides these means of catching fish, they use a hook of iron 

 without a barb ; the point is bent inward instead, so as not to 

 allow the fish to escape. Nets are not so common as in the 

 Zouga and Leeambye, but they kill large quantities of fishes by 

 means of the bruised leaves of a shrub, which may be seen 

 planted beside every village in the country. 



On the 7th we came to the village of Soana Molopo, a half- 

 brother of Katema, a few miles beyond the Lokalueje. When 

 we went to visit him, we found him sitting with about one hund- 

 red men. He called on Intemese to give some account of us, 

 though no doubt it had been done in private before. He then 

 pronounced the following sentences : " The journey of the white 

 man is very proper, but Shinte has disturbed us by showing the 

 path to the Makololo who accompany him. He ought to have 

 taken them through the country without showing them the 

 towns. We are afraid of the Makololo." He then gave us a 

 handsome present of food, and seemed perplexed by my sitting 

 down familiarly, and giving him a few of our ideas. When we 

 left, Intemese continued busily imparting an account of all we 

 had given to Shinte and Masiko, and instilling the hope that 

 Soana Molopo might obtain as much as they had received. Ac- 

 cordingly, when we expected to move on the morning of the 

 8th, we got some hints about the ox which Soana Molopo ex- 

 pected to eat, but we recommended him to get the breed of 

 cattle for himself, seeing his country was so well adapted for 

 rearing stock. Intemese also refused to move; he, moreover, 

 tried to frighten us into parting with an ox by saying that 

 Soana Molopo would send forward a message that we were a 

 marauding party ; but we packed up and went on without him. 

 We did not absolutely need him, but he was useful in preventing 

 the inhabitants of secluded villages from betaking themselves to 

 flight. We wished to be on good terms with all, and therefore 

 put up with our guide's peccadilloes. His good word respecting 

 us had considerable influence, and he was always asked if we 

 had behaved ourselves like men on the way. The Makololo are 



Y 



