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old men I mentioned before, came back to our camp this 
morning, bringing with him some of bis womenkind, wbo 
looked upon E. as something most uncommon, as no white 
woman had been seen in these parts before, and they were 
speculating whether such a portent signified a famine or a 
good harvest the following year. After breakfast some 
Caffres were sent to bring up the skull of the hippopotamus, 
and we cut the tusks out which are ivory, and the hippo 
seems to be the only beast besides the elephant which 
carries that valuable article. E. went over the supplies 
with Kemp, and found that she could allow us a little 
more flour than hitherto, owing to our having used it as 
sparingly as possible; the scones she makes for us are 
a great treat, only there is so little of them. Dubois had 
another attack of ague to-day, and evidently is not up . to 
very much work, never having thoroughly recovered 
passing two unhealthy seasons in the fever country ; but 
he is very useful as an interpreter, possessing a thorough 
knowledge both of the language and habits of the Oaffres. 
It is most fortunate that our attempts to obtain a lady 
companion for E. came to nought, as there would not only 
have been another European to provide for out of our 
already too scanty supplies, but the presence of another 
lady would have been an additional cause of anxiety to 
me, and materially have increased the difiiculties and 
discomforts we already have to contend with. The small 
amount each Caffre carries as a load entails a large number 
of bearers in a trip of this kind, and if comfort is an object 
I would recommend anyone to stick to the wagons, and 
choose their hunting grounds in those parts where wagons 
can travel. 40-lbs. is supposed to be a fair load for a 
Caffre, and he will not object to a long journey with this 
weight if it is not of a bulky or unwieldy shape. It is 
amusing to see them trying in every way to compress their 
loads into the smallest possible compass before starting for 
