RETURN PARTIES FROM THE ZAMBESI. 203 



Bond and Robertson — arrived on their return from 

 the Zambesi, having gone there early in the year. 

 They had shot elephants near the river, and the 

 former had made some pretty sketches of the Falls. 

 Other parties also now came in from the Zambesi. 



At length, on the 3d of November, Frank Oates 

 once more set off into the veldt — not to the Shashani, 

 however, as he had intended, but again in a northerly 

 direction, for reasons shortly to be stated. Before 

 starting on this occasion, he wrote home some letters 

 of considerable length, reviewing his experiences 

 of the past three months, since the date of his last 

 departure from Tati on the 25th of July, which may 

 here be given almost as they stand, entire. The 

 first of these, written to his mother, is as follows : — 



"Tati, October 1st, 1874. 



" When you see the above date, you will perhaps 

 think that I have returned from the Zambesi ; but 

 the fates seem to have conspired against my reach- 

 ing that river. After last writing home I left here 

 on the 25th of July in company with Stoffel, the 

 trader I told you of, and with every prospect of a 

 most successful trip. The series of mishaps which 

 led to my final (for this season at any rate) return 

 here on the 18th of September, I will presently relate. 

 I say, ' this season at any rate,' but I think I shall 

 now give up the Zambesi altogether, consoling myself 

 with the adage — ' 'Tis not in mortals to command 

 success.' I read somewhere of some one replying to 

 this — ' But they can deserve it ; ' and a third party, 

 who I think showed his wisdom, suggested, as an 



