54 
offered, them their own price in money or goods, but 
all vain ; they declined to come with us. Dubois was on 
his road back to us, and we arranged to start for our camp 
next morning, passing the night at the kraal where we 
were. As Dubois had seen giraffe and other game already, 
I went out for an hour or two in the evening and had a 
shot at some hartebeest and harrisbuck, but failed to kill 
either. The night was very mild, and we preferred to 
sleep under a tree to the Caffre hut, which was probably 
full of unpleasant and rest- disturbing inmates. The 
Caffres are, on the whole, a very hospitable set of 
fellows ; they are quite ready to make you welcome at 
their huts and provide you with anything they have got, 
fetch your water, light a fire, and do what they can for 
you. Next morning after breakfast we started for the 
camp, and after another climb up the pass, which I was 
now getting used to, we rejoined E. and the rest, and 
settled to start next day with the few men we had, and 
take down the two ponies besides E.'s donkey. 
July \2th. Packed up as we thought finally and were 
ready to start, when suddenly all the Caffres declared they 
wouldn't go, and were really preparing to go back, when 
fortunately the hunter La Mule arrived from below the 
Berg with three men and a small boy whom he had 
persuaded to come with him. Thereupon there ensued a 
vast amount of talking — Dubois talked, La Mule talked, 
till they were tired, to the obstinate and aggravating 
niggers, but for some time they would not yield ; at last 
about half consented to go on, but required the payment 
agreed upon to be doubled, and as I didn't care what they 
wanted so long as they would go, this part of the talk was 
soon settled. "We now had to reduce our goods again to 
smaller dimensions as there were only eleven bearers, and 
when we came to put out eleven loads for the men and 
four for the ponies, our supply of necessaries, not to say 
