1 84 MATABELE LAND. 



also said that all waggons coming from the Zambesi 

 were to be turned back, and not allowed to leave 

 till the rains fell, which begin about October. It 

 was in vain I pleaded that I had special leave from 

 the king. They said their orders were peremptory 

 — all waggons to be turned back, and if the people 

 with them refused to obey, the waggons were to be 

 seized, and all the boys who persisted in accom- 

 panying them killed. This of course frightened my 

 Kaffirs, and all I could do was to turn back and go 

 to the king in person. 



"On the 25th of June I was once more at Tati, 

 and decided to ride to the king's town, but a fresh 

 difficulty arose in getting boys to go with me, as my 

 own boys say the white men are the cause of all 

 this trouble, for they bring the sickness, and they 

 are afraid the king will kill them for accompanying 

 white men. At last, however, this difficulty was 

 surmounted, and I set off on the 30th of June with 

 my two horses, and eight boys carrying my baggage. 

 Gordon, a Mungwato trader, arrived at Tati en route 

 for the king's whilst I was making my preparations, 

 but says there were no letters there for me when he 

 left. He could not go on even to the king's with- 

 out special leave, as the king has heard of ' red- 

 water,' the Natal cattle -disease, and is in a great 

 fright about it ; indeed, if it got amongst his cattle, 

 his nation would suffer terribly. It seems too, from 

 recent reports, that it is contagious, though we never 

 used to think so. 



" Dorehill's waggon and the waggons of another 



