1 66 MATABELE LAND. 



great deal of bother off my hands, and may save me 

 no end of trouble and delay. My grand mistake 

 was not taking a good man with me from Natal in 

 the first instance at £2> or £\o a month. 



" I have had a row with some rascally Kaffirs 

 here in this wise. Last year a party of unfortunate 

 Bushmen — men, women, and children — were killed 

 by a party of Matabele. The Bushmen were sup- 

 posed to have been hunting where they had no right, 

 or committing some other offence — probably an 

 imaginary one. Hearing of this, I thought if I could 

 find the place I could take a sack and fill it with 

 bones, and I instituted inquiries accordingly as to 

 the locality, offering a blanket to any Kaffir who 

 would take me to the spot. A Dutchman, who 

 lives here, when he is not away with his wife and 

 daughters in his waggon on a hunting expedition, 

 offered to act as my guide, and it was settled that I 

 should give him ^5 for doing so. He, however, 

 changed his mind about going, but told me he had 

 2fot one of the Matabele who killed the Bushmen to 

 go with me in his stead. This fellow was working 

 here at the mine, but when he was brought to me 

 he also refused to go, evidently thinking I had some 

 ulterior object in wanting to go to the place — perhaps 

 to get him punished. These people, too, are very 

 superstitious about going to places where others have 

 been killed. 



" This occurred when I was last here, but on my 

 return I was waited on by another coloured gentle- 

 man, who said he too had helped to kill the Bushmen 



