134 MATABELE LAND. 



a circumstance afterwards accounted for by the fact 

 that other parties had been and still were hunting 

 the neighbourhood at the same time. There was, 

 nevertheless, abundant evidence of its being a good 

 game country ; and, as it was, giraffe, koodoo, 

 waterbuck, and sable antelope were met with, 

 besides wild pig, quagga, and sessebi. The spoor 

 of elephant and rhinoceros was also seen, none of it 

 however very recent. 



The Ramakwebani — at this season a fine broad 

 stream, with long grass and a large undergrowth of 

 rank weeds upon its banks — was crossed in many of 

 their rambles, and near it on one occasion were 

 seen the graves of two Englishmen. " Started at 

 nine," writes Frank Oates on February 16th, "crossed 

 the Ramakwebani, and passed the graves of two 

 Englishmen, who died here, one of fever, one killed 

 by an elephant. The latter had come from England 

 to shoot, and was killed by the tusks of the first 

 elephant he saw. The fever is very bad on this 

 river ; the vegetation is extremely rank, and the 

 water lies very deep over much of the veldt. The 

 graves," he concludes, " had been surrounded by 

 stakes to keep off the wolves, but the river, over- 

 flowing its banks, had nearly washed them away ; 

 still the heaps of stones covering the bodies and a 

 few stakes remain." 



The same evening, wandering far into the bush, 

 Frank Oates slept out with some of his boys who 

 had accompanied him. "We stopped at 5 p.m.," 

 he says, "and huts were made. It was a hot night, 



