208 MATABELE LAND. 



till the king had given leave for them to proceed, 

 and he stopped me when I first came myself, as 

 I dare say I told you at the time. This is done, 

 however, at a different kraal now — the first one 

 passed by any waggons going from here to Gubulu- 

 wayo, about forty miles north-east of Tati. In the 

 meantime I remained on the Ramakwebani, my ally 

 riding over to Tati once or twice. 



"Whilst I was here a trader of the name of 

 Horn passed, and had to wait when he was a few 

 miles on the road to ask leave to proceed, as all 

 waggons from Natal are now stopped for fear of the 

 disease, and Horn had to explain who he was and 

 where he came from. Horn, I think, is the man 

 who opened the Zambesi trade, but is at present 

 trading with the Matabele. A lion killed one of his 

 oxen on the Inkwisi one night whilst he was waiting 

 here, and a dozen of them took fright and ran away. 

 I assisted in looking for them, and followed up the 

 spoor next day till late in the afternoon, and must 

 have been close to the oxen, but there was a Scotch 

 mist and it was a wretched evening, so, leaving 

 three Kaffirs to follow and sleep on the spoor, I 

 returned to the waggons. Next day the Kaffirs 

 returned without the oxen, and thus much time was 

 lost. The day after this Horn's partner followed 

 the spoor to the water, but from the water followed 

 up, by mistake, some fresh buffalo-spoor, and slept 

 on it, to come the following morning on to a herd of 

 buffalo, which rather astonished him. At last Stoffel 

 set off with him, about four or five days after the 



