Chap. IV. NCHOKOTSA— S iLTPANS. ftli 



conceived from Mr. Oswell's prowess a high idea of English 

 courage, and when they wished to flatter me would say, "If 

 you were not a missionary you would be just like Oswell ; 

 you would not hunt with dogs either." He has been known 

 to kill four large old males in a day, and the value of the ivory 

 would be one hundred guineas. 



"When Sebituane heard of our attempts to visit him, he 

 despatched three detachments of his men with thirteen brown 

 cows to Lechulatebe, thirteen white cows to Sekomi, and thir- 

 teen black cows to Sechele, with a request to each to assist 

 the white men to reach him. Their policy, however, was to 

 act as his agents in purchasing with his ivory the goods he 

 wanted. We had gone to Kuruman ; and Sechele allowed all 

 the messengers to leave before our return to Kolenberg. This 

 monopolising spirit pervades all Africa; and as that continent 

 is without friths and arms of the sea, the tribes in the centre 

 have always been debarred from European intercourse. 



When we set out on our third journey Sekomi was more 

 than usually gracious, and even furnished us with a guide. 

 No one, however, knew the path beyond Nchokotsa. When 

 we reached that point we found that the mainspring of the 

 gun of a man who was well acquainted with the Bushmen, 

 through whose country we should pass, had opportunely 

 broken. I never undertook to mend a gun with greater zest. 

 Under a promise of the guidance of its owner we went to the 

 north instead of westward. 



We passed quickly over a hard flat country. A little soil 

 lying on calcareous tufa supports over a tract of several hun- 

 dreds of miles a vegetation of sweet short grass and mopane and 

 baobab trees. In several parts we found large saltpans, one 

 of which, Ntwetwe, is fifteen miles broad and one hundred 

 long. The latitude might have been taken on its hoiizon as 

 well as upon the sea. Although these curious spots seem 

 perfectly level, they have a gentle slope to the north-east, 

 which is the direction of the Zouga. As the rain-water gently 

 gravitates thither it carries with it the salt it has dissolved, 

 which by this means has all been transferred to one pan named 

 Chuantsa, where we have a cake of salt and lime an inch and 

 a half thick. Some of the pans are covered thickly with 

 shells, which are identical with those of the mollusca of Lake 



