200 MATABELE LAND. 



The following entries in his Journal, soon after 

 his arrival, may here be read with interest : — 



"September 20th. — Rather windy, but pleasant 

 day, after a cool night. I liked my new quarters. 

 . . . To-night, as last night, sat at Brown's talking. 

 We discuss some questions in natural history. . . . 

 Wild dogs have been discussed. Dobie has seen 

 them in packs, he says, variegated in colour, with 

 white patches here and there, differently placed in 

 different animals. Brown has seen them, and says 

 they are like what he imagines a European wolf to 

 be — and I think he has a good idea what the latter 

 is like. Johnson says that, when coming here, he 

 saw a hare run against the waggon-wheel when they 

 were outspanned at the Shashi, and kill herself ; and 

 by the light of the fire he saw distinctly, standing 

 twenty or thirty yards off, a wild dog. He says it 

 was a good deal like a European wolf — an animal 

 he knows — with a fine coat and bushy tail, upright 

 ears, I think, and a long nose. Brown says they 

 often run pallah into the station here, when the 

 natives, hearing the cry of the pallah, rush out from 

 the different white men's establishments to assegai 

 it, and the dogs are usually found to have torn at the 

 place where such creatures generally commence their 

 attacks, and even dragged out a portion of the en- 

 trails. They must hunt the pallah, he says, for 

 hours with dogged perseverance and fairly weary 

 him out. I know myself what a fleet creature the 

 pallah is, and have no doubt for miles he would far 

 outstrip a pack of dogs. 



