Chap. XVII. SOai<A MOLOPO— MOZINKWA. 213 



outlets of the retreating waters, and fix in them creels, similar 

 in shape to our own, which the fish can enter, but cannot 

 escape from. They thus secure large quantities of fish, which, 

 when smoke-dried, make a good relish for their otherwise 

 insipid food. Tn still water they use a fish-trap made of reeds 

 and supple wands, similar in shape to our common wire 

 mouse-trap, with an opening surrounded with wires pointing 

 inwards. Besides these means of catching fish, they use a 

 hook of iron without a barb, the point being bent inwards 

 instead. Nets are not so common as in the Zouga and 

 Leeambye, but they kill large quantities of fishes by means 

 of the bruised leaves of a shrub which may be seen planted 

 beside every village in the country. 



On the 7th we came to the village of Soana Molopo, a half- 

 brother of Katenia, whom we found sitting, surrounded by 

 about one hundred men. He called on Intemese to give 

 some account of us, though no doubt this had already been 

 done in private. He then pronounced the following sen- 

 tences : — " The journey of the white man is very proper, but 

 Shinte has disturbed us by showing the path to the Makololo 

 who accompany him. He ought to have taken them through 

 the country without showing them the towns. We are afraid 

 of the Makololo." He then gave us a handsome present of 

 food, and seemed perplexed by my sitting down familiarly. 

 and giving him a few of our ideas. Intemese raised his 

 expectations of receiving a present of an ox in return for his 

 civility, and, on my refusal, became sulky and refused to move 

 on : we therefore resolved to go on without him. 



On the following morning we took leave of Molopo, and 

 having been, as usual, caught by rains, we halted at the house 

 of Mozinkwa, a most intelligent and friendly man, who pos- 

 sessed a large and well-hedged garden. The walls of his 

 compound, or courtyard, were constructed of branches of the 

 banian, which, taking root, had become a live hedge. 

 Mozinkwa's wife had cotton growing all round her premises, 

 and several plants used as relishes to the insipid porridge of 

 (he country. She cultivated also the common castor-oil plant, 

 and a larger shrub (Jatropha curcas), also yielding a pur. 

 oil, wh'ch is only used however for anointing the \ 

 We also saw in her garden Indian bringalls, yam*, an 1 sweet 



