174 ALLIGATORS— GAME. Chap. XIV. 



boats. The number of alligators is prodigious, and they are 

 more savage here than elsewhere. Children are constantly 

 carried off by them at Sesheke and other towns ; for, notwith- 

 standing the danger, they generally play on the river side 

 when they go down for water. Many calves are also lost, and 

 it is seldom that a herd of cows swims over at Sesheke without 

 some loss. I never conld avoid shuddering on seeing my men 

 swimming across these branches, after one of them had been 

 caught by the thigh and taken below. He, however, retained 

 his full presence of mind, and, having a small javelin with 

 him, he gave the alligator a stab behind the shoulder, the pain 

 of w T hich caused the brute to let go, and he came out with the 

 deep marks of the teeth on his thigh. No antipathy is here 

 felt towards one who has met with such an adventure, but, in 

 the Bamangwato and Bakwain tribes, if a man is either bitten 

 b}' an alligator, or even has had water splashed over him by 

 its tail, he is expelled his tribe. On the Zouga we saw one of 

 the Bamangwato who had been bitten and was expelled from 

 his tribe in consequence. Fearing that I should regard him 

 with the same disgust as his countrymen, he would not tell 

 me the cause of his exile, but the Bayeiye informed me of it. 

 If the Bak wains happen to approach an alligator they spit on 

 the ground, and indicate its presence by saying " Boleo 

 ki bo " — " There is sin." They imagine that the mere sight 

 of it gives inflammation of the eyes ; and, though they eat the 

 zebra without hesitation, yet, if a man be bitten by one, he is 

 obliged to take his family away to the Kalahari. 



When we had gone thirty or forty miles above Libonta we 

 sent some of our captives to the chief called Makoma with an 

 explanatory message. This caused some delay ; but as we were 

 loaded with presents of food from the Makololo, and game was 

 abundant, we fared sumptuously. The animals were so tame 

 that it was quite grievous to kill them. With little skill in 

 stalking, it was easy to get within fifty or sixty yards of them; 

 and, instead of shooting them at that distance, I often lay 

 admiring the graceful forms and motions of pokus,* leches, and 

 other antelopes, until my men, wondering what was the 

 matter, came up to see, and frightened them away. 



* I propose to name this new species Antilope Vardonii, after the kfricao 

 haveller, Major Vavdon. 



