ARRIVAL A T BAMANG WA TO. 1 5 



tain range stretched to the right and right rear. A 

 halt of two or three days was made by the river's 

 bank, to give the oxen time to rest. Here buffalo, 

 blue wildebeest, springbok, and other game was 

 found, including wild pigs and pallah ; and a little 

 farther north eland was met with, and many of the 

 lesser antelopes. About this time the dews, which 

 had hitherto been heavy, ceased altogether ; possibly, 

 in part, owing to the change of locality. The road 

 now for some time again continued near the left 

 bank of the Crocodile, until the 24th, when, soon after 

 crossing the Notwani, another of its tributaries, the 

 course of the river was finally abandoned, and on the 

 27th the blue tops of the Bamangwato "kopjes" (low 

 hills) came in sight. The place itself was reached 

 two days later. 



Here a short halt was again made for a few days, 

 to engage fresh Kaffirs and prepare for the continua- 

 tion of the journey northwards. Owing to the want 

 of water in the country between here and Lake 

 Ngami, the part of the proposed expedition which 

 included a visit to the Lake had to be abandoned, 

 Frank Oates resolving to proceed, if possible, direct 

 to the Zambesi, the rest of the party accompanying 

 him north as far as the Tati River in search of sport, 

 to return thence by the same route as they had 

 come. Mr. Gray, the trader, had arrived at Ba- 

 mangwato a few days earlier, and decided to wait 

 there till the rains should come before proceeding 

 on his journey to the Lake. The following extracts 

 from letters, sent home about this time by Frank 



