Chap. IV. GUIDES OBTAINED FROM LECHULATEBE. 75 



Zouga with great labour, having to cut down very many trees to 

 allow the waggons to pass. Our losses by oxen falling into 

 pitfalls were very heavy. The Bayeiye kindly opened the pits 

 when they knew of our approach ; but when that was not the 

 case, we could blame no one on finding an established custom of 

 the country mimical to our interests. On approaching the con- 

 fluence of the Tamunak'le we were informed that the fly called 

 tsetse * abounded on its banks. This was a barrier we never 

 expected to meet ; and as it might have brought our waggons to 

 a complete stand-still in a wilderness, where no supplies for the 

 children could be obtained, we were reluctantly compelled to 

 recross the Zouga. 



From the Bayeiye we learned that a party of Englishmen, who 

 had come to the lake in search of ivory, were all laid low by 

 fever ; so we travelled hastily down about sixty miles to render 

 what aid was in our power. We were grieved to find as we came 

 near that Mr. Alfred Eider, an enterprising young artist who had 

 come to make sketches of this country and of the lake imme- 

 diately after its discovery, had died of fever before our arrival ; 

 but, by the aid of medicines and such comforts as could be made 

 by the only English lady who ever visited the lake, the others 

 happily recovered. The unfinished drawing of Lake Ngami was 

 made by Mr. Eider just before his death, and has been kindly 

 lent for this work by his bereaved mother. 



Seehele used all his powers of eloquence with Lechulatebe to 

 induce him to furnish guides that I might be able to visit Sebi- 

 tuane on ox-back, while Mrs. Livingstone and the children re- 

 mained at Lake Ngami. He yielded at last. I had a very 

 superior London-made gun, the gift of Lieutenant Arkwright, on 

 which I placed the greatest value both on account of the donor 

 and the impossibility of my replacing it. Lechulatebe fell 

 violently in love with it, and offered whatever number of elephants' 

 tusks I might ask for it. I too was enamoured with Sebituane ; 

 and, as he promised in addition that he would furnish Mrs. Living- 

 stone with meat all the time of my absence, his arguments made 

 me part with the gun. Though he had no ivory at the time to 

 pay me, I felt the piece would be well spent on those terms, and 



* Qtonina morsituns ; the first specimens of which were brought to Eng- 

 land in 1848 by ray friend Major Vardon, from the banks of the Limpopo. 



