196 MATABELE LAND. 



"The river here," writes the traveller at the 

 latter point, "flows to the south through a deep 

 sandy bed, kopjes hemming it in on either side. 

 The scenery is remarkably pretty for South Africa, 

 and the long reach of river flowing away to the 

 southward is an object to attract the eye. The 

 water actually runs in the bed here, though there 

 is far more sand than water, and big stones than 

 either. Stoffel says there used to be plenty of 

 elephants here. This was the place where they 

 passed through the kopjes on their way south, and 

 last year he and Garland saw fresh spoor here. 

 Out with rifle down river ; pretty little grassy parks 

 amongst the kopjes, and on the kopjes themselves 

 very thick bush. The river where we have struck 

 it — the ' poort ' 1 as Stoffel calls it — would be a pretty 

 subject for a sketch." 



Again pushing forward, Frank Oates once more 

 reached — on August 18th — the first kraal of the 

 Makalakas, the former scene of so much trouble and 

 vexation to him. A few days previously Stoffel had 

 hurt his finger, and here, as it began to give him pain, 

 they waited a week before proceeding farther from 

 all reach of help, to see what course the injury would 

 take. Supplies of corn had here to be obtained, and 

 the interval of waiting was occupied, partly in striking 

 bargains with the natives, and partly in rearranging 

 the contents of the waggons, to receive the grain ; 

 neither of them the most agreeable of occupations, 

 as the following extract from the Journal shows : — 



1 In Dutch, literally &gate or doorway. 



