Mo MATABELE LAND. 



He leaves to-morrow, according to his present plan, 

 with Mr. Thomson, they carrying the mail. Then 

 there is Klaas's waggon and Jacobs's waggon ; the 

 latter 1 living here with his wife and daughters until 

 the regular hunting season. He makes occasional 

 short excursions from here, and is now about to set 

 off for the Semokwe for a three weeks' hunt after 

 elephant. A troop of they say at least 200 elephant 

 came close to Tati lately, but, probably hearing the 

 engine, turned. One account sets them down at a 

 still larger number. In the letter I found awaiting 

 me here from Willie, written when he came out of 

 the hunting veldt, he tells me he has been to the 

 Semokwe, where he has had good sport. Seventeen 

 elephants, he tells me, had just been killed on that 

 river ; this would be by Viljoen. 2 Captain Garden 

 and his brother are accompanying Jacobs on his 

 projected hunt, and I am going to join them too. 

 Klaas and Henry Wall are also going, and a lot of 

 Bushmen. Jacobs shot a fine lion close to Tati 

 lately ; brought him to bay with dogs early in the 

 morning, and shot him from horseback. They 

 trapped another ; the third, a lioness, escaped. 

 They had been taking Jacobs's bullocks. ... A 

 lot of people came up to my waggon when we out- 

 spanned, and Mr. Thomson invited me to supper. 

 In the evening we all met at Brown's. Brown has 

 given me a piece of bread. I enjoy it without butter 

 or anything else with it ; it is a wonderful treat." 



1 Piet Jacobs, the Dutch hunter, referred to in the previous chapter. 

 2 Another Dutch hunter. 



