i2o MATABELE LAND. 



habitants, Mashonas I think, are far more in keeping 

 with the scene, to my mind, than their supplanters. 1 

 "Jantje cut a dissel-boom, and we inspanned 

 about 2.15 p.m. First we went up hill, and then 

 began to descend through a tolerably open grass 

 country, with trees about as far apart as one sees 

 them in an orchard. The country we passed through 

 is extremely pretty — grass long, trees graceful and 



NATIVE HUNTING-KNIVES. 



varied, broken crags, with kopjes all round. Through 

 it we descended to the Shashani, which is in a valley, 

 and we must have crossed it say about 3 p.m. We then 

 soon crossed a spruit, and after this in a heavy part 

 of the road, where the ruts had been worn into deep 

 holes, we stuck. This would be about 3.40 p.m. We 

 made vain efforts to get out, let the oxen feed a little, 

 and again tried and tried in vain. The front oxen, 



1 Brass-wire is considerably used by the natives of South Africa 

 for purposes of ornamentation. Above are represented two hunting- 

 knives, the upper one of which has the sheath and handle (which are 

 of wood) handsomely adorned with fine twisted brass -wire. The 

 sheath of the lower knife is of raw hide strongly sewn together. 



