236 MATABELE LAND. 



" A rabbit got up close to the waggon directly 

 after we outspanned, and the dogs set off. Dorehill 

 lost one of his, and I lost ' Rock.' Our boys found 

 the spoor, and as it turned out the dogs had been 

 stolen by Makalakas. Stoffel, Dorehill, and I, with 

 Jacob, rode with our guns and a lot of boys to two 

 or three kraals, threatening them all with punish- 

 ment unless the dogs were given up. At night they 

 were brought back by one of Stoffel's and one of 

 Dorehill's boys, who had been to a kraal and de- 

 manded them. We decided to inspan and ride with 

 the moon. Trekked through trees thickly placed 

 (mopani mostly), crossed several spruits, and out- 

 spanned at the Matengwe River ; say three hours. 



"November 2$tk. — Cloudy ; heavy rain at night. 

 Here we met a party of Griquas, who have been in 

 Stoffel's employ before as hunters, and they are now 

 willing to turn back their waggon and return with 

 him. They tell sad tales of the Zambesi fever, of 

 which many of them have died. They say it is com- 

 paratively healthy at Tamasanka, and they are will- 

 ing to stand there till April or May, and then go on 

 to the Zambesi. The old man tells me that a man 

 gets a pain in his head and lies down, and next 

 morning, if he is alive, he is 'salted.' Stoffel busy 

 making arrangements with these people. Trekked 

 through beautiful green veldt, road winding amongst 

 a great number of kopjes ; mopani and other trees. 

 Several large and rather bad spruits crossed. We 

 kept coming near the Matengwe during this trek, 

 and part of the time the road keeps along its bank. 



