1 j% OUTFIT FOR JOURNEY. Chap. XHL 



contained \ aluable notes on the habits of wild animals. As 

 I was detained longer than I expected at Loanda, it was 

 delivered by Sekeletu to a tradei, and unfortunately I have 

 been unable to trace it. When the prospect of passing away 

 from this fair and beautiful world came before me in a plain 

 matter-of-fact form, it did seem a serious thing to leave wife 

 and children and enter on an untried state of existence. But 

 I had always believed that, if we serve God at all, it ought to 

 be done in a manly way, and I was determined to " succeed 

 or perish " in the attempt to open up this part of Africa. T 

 wrote to my brother, commending our little girl to his care. 

 The Boers, by taking possession of all my goods, had saved 

 me the trouble of making a will. 



When I committed the waggon and remaining goods to tho 

 care of the Makololo, they took all the articles except one box 

 into their huts. Two warriors, Ponuane and Mahale, brought 

 forward each a fine heifer calf, and, after performing a number 

 of warlike evolutions, they asked the chief to witness the 

 agreement made between them, that whoever of the two 

 ♦should kill a Matebele warrior first, in defence of the waggon, 

 should possess both the calves. 



I had three muskets for my people, and a rifle and a double- 

 barrelled smooth bore for myself. My ammunition was 

 distributed in portions throughout the luggage, that, if an 

 accident befell one part, we might not be left without a 

 supply. Our chief hopes for food were on our guns; and 

 having seen such abundance of game in my visit to the 

 Leeba, I imagined that I could easily shoot enough for our 

 wants. In case of failure, I carried about 20 lbs. of beads, 

 worth 40s. To avoid heavy loads, I only took a few 

 biscuits, a few pounds of tea and sugar, and about twenty 

 of coffee, which, as the Arabs find, though used without either 

 milk or sugar, is a most refreshing drink after fatigue or ex- 

 posure to the sun. One small tin canister, about fifteen inches 

 square, was filled with spare shirts, trowsers, and shoes, to 

 be used when we reached civilised life ; another of the same 

 size was stored with medicines ; a third with books ; and a 

 (35) fourth box contained a magic lantern, which we found of much 

 service. The sextant and other instruments were carried 

 apart. A bag contained the clothes we expected to wear out 



