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were going down tlie river. Eeached camp about 12-30, 
and found our Caffres and some men from the kraals, wlio 
had brought us another water melon, of which we were 
very glad ; but unfortunately they had none of the meal 
ground, though they offered to return and set their women 
folk to work if we would wait for it ; so I agreed to wait 
till 10 o'clock the next morning before moving on. I 
hunted in the afternoon, but didn 't get a shot : my old 
luck seems to have departed. Dubois, more fortunate, 
killed a koodoo. We are now about half-way back to the 
Drachensburg, and all the excitement being over we are 
looking forward to getting back to the wagons and their 
comforts. 
August 2Sth, One of my brothers' birthday, and we 
drank his health in a little brandy and water. We waited 
till 10 o'clock as agreed, but the men from the kraal did 
not turn up, so we started on again : of course the Caffres 
didn't understand ^^10 o'clock," but they could roughly 
guess at the time of day by the height of the sun. — 
Another five hours' walk to-day, and Jack" still going, 
though E. has to get off at any ravine or bad bit of 
ground. We camped for the night close to the pool where 
we first saw the hippopotami, but none were visible to-day, 
till just before dusk La Mule crossed the river, and going 
along the bank he found five of them all of a heap and 
fast asleep in the reeds — a sight I should have been very 
glad to see ; he did not shoot as he thought it might drive 
them away from the place, and we expected to have a turn 
at them on the morrow. I shot an impala on the march, 
Dubois a wa+erbuck, and Swartboy a bushbuck — a most 
acceptable supply of meat. Bought a specimen of Caffre 
carving from the men at work at the iron smelting 
establishment which we passed this afternoon; they had 
rigged up a bellows since we saw them made of skins, and 
a horn which communicated again with a long pipe made 
