124 MATABELE LAND. 



by bad weather, and then, as the time of the grand 

 dance of the year was approaching, I waited to see 

 it. The people come from all the neighbouring 

 kraals, and dance and feast for two or three days. 

 It is the feast of the first-fruits of the season, and 

 Mr. Thomson advised me to stay for it. After this, 

 fearful rain again delayed me, and then I had some 

 trouble with my men, and dismissed two, and had to 

 have the case of a third tried before the king. At 

 last — last Monday — I got under weigh once more, 

 with a new waterproof tent on my waggon. The 

 journey here is about three days under ordinary cir- 

 cumstances, but it took me six, in the present heavy 

 state of the country and the badness of the river 

 drifts. I had many sticks-in-the-mud and breakages 

 of my dissel-boom. Last night I arrived here, and 

 to-day is Sunday. The man to whom I am going to 

 give this letter drove my waggon for the last eleven 

 miles. He overtook me on the road, and let his own 

 empty waggon go on. We were about six hours in 

 accomplishing the distance, including delays, but 

 thanks to his timely help I pulled through. The 

 last river we had to cross, the Mangwe, was so 

 swollen that the water was up to the men's chests, 

 and looked as if it was coming into the waggon. The 

 men who were not in the waggon had to catch hold 

 of the oxen's tails, or struggle through the stream as 

 well as they could. It would have been very un- 

 pleasant, especially with bad helpless drivers, to have 

 broken my dissel-boom in the middle of the river, and 

 I felt very glad when safely landed on the bank. 



