LETTER FROM TATI. 141 



The following day the large party here alluded 

 to started on their hunt. Before leaving, Frank 

 Oates wrote to his brother William, now in Eng- 

 land, as follows : — 



" Tati, February 24th, 1874. 



" It is quite a pleasure to get a letter from you — 

 I mean the one you left for me here. I shall get no 

 more now for five or six weeks, when I expect to be 

 in Mungwato. I am sorry that wretched old croaker, 

 Palmer, 1 put you in a funk about me. He says it 

 would be a good thing for people travelling to have 

 'portable coffins.' I am thankful to say my health 

 is excellent. I did not, as doubtless you know by 

 this time, get to the Zambesi. I believe the king 

 was at the bottom of it (not of the Zambesi; but 

 excuse grammar). I took my waggon fifty miles 

 on the way, as far as Inyati, and then put all out 

 for fifteen carriers to take. It was a fortnight's 

 walk through ' the fly ' to the Falls. After wait- 

 ing nearly a week, it transpired that no boys were 

 forthcoming as promised. Partly, I think, they 

 were afraid of fever, and partly of the natives, with 

 whom they are at war ; partly also they wanted to 

 get back in time to cultivate their gardens. How- 

 ever, I believe I could have got them myself easily, 

 had I not trusted to the man given me by the king. 



" I then sent back to Lobengula, asking him for 

 hunting veldt. I had given him your shot-gun, and 

 his sister some furniture-print of gorgeous pattern. 

 He gave me a fine veldt between the Gwailo and 



1 A trader of that name at Tati. 



