44 DEPARTURE FROM KOI.OBENG. 



were sent by Lechulatebe, the chief, to ask me to visit 

 that country. They brought such flaming accounts of 

 the quantities of ivory to be found there (cattle-pens 

 made of elephants' tusks of enormous size, &c.), that the 

 guides of the Bakwains were quite as eager to succeed in 

 reaching the lake as any one of us could desire. This was 

 fortunate, as we knew the way the strangers had come 

 was impassable for waggons. 



Messrs. Oswell and Murray came at the end of May, and 

 we all made a fair start for the unknown region on the ist 

 of June, 1849. Proceeding northwards, and passing 

 through a range of tree-covered hills to Shokuane, formerly 

 the residence of the Bakwains, we soon after entered 

 on the high road to the Bamangwato, which lies generally 

 in the bed of an ancient river or wady that must formerly 

 have flowed N. to S. The adjacent country is perfectly 

 flat, but covered with open forest and bush, with abund- 

 ance of grass ; the trees generally are a kind of acacia 

 called " Monato," which appears a little to the south of 

 this region, and is common as far as Angola. A large 

 caterpillar, called " Nato," feeds by night on the leaves 

 of these trees, and comes down by day to bury itself at 

 the root in the sand, in order to escape the piercing rays 

 of the sun. The people dig for it there, and are fond of 

 it when roasted, on account of its pleasant vegetable taste. 

 When about to pass into the chrysalis state it buries itself 

 in the soil, and is sometimes sought for as food even then. 

 If left undisturbed, it comes forth as a beautiful butterfly : 

 the transmutation was sometimes employed by me with 

 good effect, when speaking with the natives, as an illus- 

 tration of our own great change and resurrection. 



The soil is sandy, and there are here and there indications 

 that at spots which now afford no water whatever there 

 were formerly wells and cattle stations. 



Boatlanama, our next station, is a lovely spot in the 

 otherwise dry region. The wells from which we had to 

 lift out the water for our cattle are deep, but they were 

 well filled. A few villages of Bakalahari were found near 

 them, and great numbers of pallahs, springbucks, guinea- 

 fowl, and small monkeys. 



Lopepe came next. This place afforded another proof 

 of the desiccation of the country. The first time I passed 

 it, Lopepe was a large pool with a stream flowing out of 

 it to the south ; now it was with difficulty we could get 



