1 64 RETURN TO UNYANTI. 



but just as the short twilight of these parts was com- 

 mencing, we perceived on the north bank the village of 

 Moremi, one of the Makololo, whose acquaintance I had 

 made in our former visit, and who was now located on the 

 island Mahonta (lat. 17 58' S., long. 24 6' E.). The 

 villagers looked as we may suppose people do who see a 

 ghost, and in their figurative way of speaking said, " He 

 has dropped among us from the clouds, yet came riding 

 on the back of a hippopotamus ! We Makololo thought no 

 one could cross the Chobe without our knowledge, but 

 here he drops among us like a bird." 



Next day we returned in canoes across the flooded lands, 

 and found that, in our absence, the men had allowed the 

 cattle to wander into a very small patch of wood to the 

 west containing the tsetse ; this carelessness cost me ten 

 fine large oxen. After remaining a few days, some of the 

 head men of the Makololo came down from L,inyanti, with 

 a large party of Barotse> to take us across the river. 

 This they did in fine style, swimming and diving among 

 the oxen more like alligators than men, and taking the 

 waggons to pieces and carrying them across on a number 

 of canoes lashed together. We were now among friends ; 

 so going about thirty miles to the north, in order to avoid 

 the still flooded lands on the north of the Chobe, we turned 

 westwards towards L,inyanti (lat. 18 17' 20" S., long. 23 

 50' g" E.), where we arrived on the 23rd of May, 1853. 

 This is the capital town of the Makololo, and only a short 

 distance from our waggon-stand of 185 1 (lat. 18 20' S., 

 long. 2 3 °5o / K.). 



CHAPTER IX. 



The whole population of Linyanti, numbering between 

 six and seven thousand souls, turned out en masse to see 

 the waggons in motion. They had never witnessed the 

 phenomenon before, we having on the former occasion 

 departed by night. Sekeletu, now in power, received us 

 in what is considered royal style, setting before us a great 

 number of pots of boyaloa, the beer of the country. 



