86 MATABELE LAND. 



Oates was detained about a week, having much 

 trouble and annoyance in paying off the boys he 

 had engaged there for the hunt early in October, 

 and it was the 2d of December before he once more 

 found himself at Hope Fountain, near Gubuluwayo, 

 the residence of Mr. Thomson, whence he wrote 

 home the following letter : — 



" Rev. J. B. Thomson's, 

 " Hope Fountain, Matabele Land, 

 " December 4th, 1873. 



" I find there is a good opportunity of writing 

 a line home, as a trader is going with a waggon 

 straight to Hope Town and starts to-morrow. He 

 has only been a fortnight coming here from Ba- 

 mangwato, so he travels pretty quickly. You will, 

 no doubt, before you get this, have received the last 

 letter I sent you, in which I think I told you that my 

 visit to the Victoria Falls had been abandoned. I 

 was within 1 50 to 200 miles of them, and had made 

 every preparation for the journey, having got the 

 king's leave to proceed, escorted by one of his chief 

 men, and was already packing the things for the 

 bearers to carry (twenty was the number I required, 

 though I should have been content with fifteen), 

 when all at once the unforeseen difficulty of getting 

 a sufficient number of them presented itself. The 

 king had told me there would be no difficulty, but 

 I was then fifty miles from him, having taken my 

 waggon to be left at Inyati, whence I was starting 



