Chap. XXVI. A THIEF. 541 



the sake of a little eclat, to risk the detention of the 

 Pioneer up the river during another year; so we decided 

 to return ; and though we had afterwards the mortification to 

 find that we were detained two full months at the ship wait- 

 ing for the flood winch we expected immediately after our 

 arrival there, the chagrin was lessened by a consciousness of 

 having acted in a fair, honest, above-board manner throughout. 



On the night of the 29th of September a thief came to the 

 sleeping-place of our men and stole a leg of a goat. On 

 complaining to the deputy headman, he said that the thief 

 had fled, but would be caught. He suggested a fine, and 

 offered a fowl and her eggs; but wishing that the thief 

 alone should be punished, it was advised that he should be 

 found and fined. The Makololo thought it best to take the 

 fowl as a means of making the punishment certain. After 

 settling this matter on the last day of September, we com- 

 menced our return journey. We had just the same time to go 

 back to the ship, that we had spent in coming to this point, 

 and there is not much to interest one in marching over the 

 same ground a second time. 



While on our journey north-west, a cheery old woman, who 

 had once been beautiful, but whose white hair now contrasted 

 strongly with her dark complexion, was working briskly in her 

 garden as we passed. She seemed to enjoy a hale, hearty old 

 age. She saluted us with what elsewhere would be called a 

 good address ; and, evidently conscious that she deserved the 

 epithet, "dark but comely," answered each of us with a 

 frank "Yes, my child." Another motherly-looking woman, 

 sitting by a well, began the conversation by " You are 

 going to visit Muazi, and you have come from afar, have you 

 not ? " But in general women never speak to strangers 

 unless spoken to, so anything said by them attracts atten- 

 tion. Muazi once presented us with a basket of corn. On 



