Chap. III. MESSAGE FROM SEKOML 41 



gnu), the giraffe, the zebra, and pallah {Antihpe melampus), aie 

 never seen but in the vicinity of water. Their presence is a 

 sure indication that it will be found within seven or eight 

 miles. 



In the evening of our second day at Serotli a hyama 

 appeared suddenly among the grass and raised a panic among 

 our cattle. This false mode of attack is the plan this cow- 

 ardly creature always adopts, for his courage only peimits 

 him to fall upon animals which are running terrified away. 

 Seventeen of our draught oxen fled into the hands of Sekoini, (7) 

 who was unfriendly to our expedition. He sent them back 

 with a message strongly dissuading us from attempting to 

 cross the Desert. " Where are you going ? You will be 

 killed by the sun and thirst, and then all the white men will 

 blame me for not saving you." We replied by assuring the 

 messengers that the white men would attribute our deaths to 

 our own stupidity, " as we did not intend to allow our com- 

 panions and guides to return till they had put us into our 

 graves." We sent a handsome present to Sekomi, with a 

 promise that, if he allowed the Bakalahari to keep the wells 

 open for us, we would repeat the gift on our return. 



All around Serotli the country is perfectly flat., and com- 

 posed of soft white sand. There is a peculiar glare of bright 

 sunlight from a cloudless sky over the entire scene ; and one 

 clump of trees and bushes, with open spaces between, looks 

 so exactly like another, that if you leave the wells, and walk 

 a quarter of a mile in any direction, it is difficult to return. 

 Oswell and Murray went, accompanied by cne of the Bakala- 

 hari, to procure an eland. The perfect sameness of the 

 country caused even the son of the Desert to lose his way, 

 which gave rise to a ludicrous misconception. One of the 

 commonest phrases of the people is " Kia itumcla," / thank 

 you, or I am pleased ; but there is a word very similar in sound, 

 " Kia timela," / am wandering. The perfect of this latter term 

 is " Ki timetse," I have wandered, which again resembles the 

 word for water, " metse." Hence Mr. Murray and Mr. 

 Oswell mistook the verb " wander," for " to be pleased," and 

 " water," and a colloquy went on at intervals between then, 

 and their guide during the whole of a bitterly cold night in 

 somewhat the following style : — 



