HYENAS— AN OX A TTA CKED. 3 5 



only water near for miles. You may imagine the 

 luxury of a bath, under such circumstances, out of 

 the question. There are two men here who have 

 been very kind, one sending us milk twice a day — 

 and, I can assure you, milk is exceedingly scarce. 

 The country is most uninteresting ; nothing to see 

 but thick bush, composed chiefly of low thorn-trees 

 with immense spikes, which hold you fast if you get 

 amongst them. 



" The only pleasant part of the day is from sun- 

 rise (about half-past six) to half-past eight. After 

 that, the less you do the better until 5 p.m., when it 

 is moderately cool again. At half-past six it is dark. 

 The flies are a perfect plague all day and get into 

 everything. Towards the end of October there are 

 some heavy thunder-showers, and then summer be- 

 gins, but the regular rains don't fall until November. 

 There are great numbers of hyaenas and jackals, 

 which prowl about the waggons all night. Last 

 night one of Buckley's oxen was ill, and the hyaenas 

 knowing it attacked him, and this morning we found 

 they had actually eaten part of him alive. Of course 

 the poor brute had to be shot. Unfortunately the 

 hyaena escaped, though fired at by Buckley's driver. 

 The people are very glad when anybody shoots 

 these animals, as they are constantly killing goats, 

 and sometimes oxen. They are, however, so wary 

 that it is difficult to get them. 



" Mr. Nelsson, the manager of the mine, lent 

 us some newspapers up to the 24th of May, the 

 latest news we have seen from England. He also 



