EX A CTIONS OF L OBENG ULA. i 8 7 



" The little horse I sold him for £2^ when last 

 at his town had got over the sickness, as I fully 

 expected he would, and was 'salted,' and must be 

 now worth from ^80 to ;£ioo. I should never have 

 parted with him, had not Mr. Thomson advised me 

 to do so, in order to ensure his goodwill in case I 

 wanted to go to the Zambesi. It seems, however, 

 that he did not do for me what he might have 

 done, and it has been suggested to me that this was 

 because I refused to sell him my gun also ! I think 

 I told you that I gave him a gun when first I saw 

 him, but he wanted very much another I had, offer- 

 ing me £60 or £yo worth of ivory for it, but I per- 

 sisted in refusing to let him have it, and then it was 

 he asked for the horse, and would not let the subject 

 drop till he got the animal, and got him at his own 

 price. I am afraid he is very little better than the 

 generality of Kaffirs, and certainly I have experienced 

 anything but generous treatment at his hands — in- 

 deed scarcely fair play. Yet there is no doubt that 

 he is very much afraid of anything befalling white 

 men in his country, either from sickness or any other 

 cause ; and now, when he told me to go to the Zam- 

 besi, he added, ' Unless I was afraid of the sickness.' 

 This idea of sickness, and the new fear of a con- 

 tagious cattle -disease, brought by white men, are 

 causing a good deal of trouble. Dorehill, however, 

 got leave to take his waggon on, and intends to go 

 to the Zambesi when he leaves the king's. I rode 

 back with Dorehill as far as his waggon, and there 

 I met Mr. Thomson and his wife once more, return- 



