JUNE.] RESIDENCE AT LATTAKOO. 
269 
the people in the meantime, as our situation was 
unpleasant, having nothing to do. They said they 
could give no answer till Mateebe came. I then told 
them, through the interpreters, that I came from the 
same country as Dr. Cowan, and that no doubt his 
friends would be anxious to hear any thing concerning 
him, and would be much obliged by their favouring 
me with all they knew concerning him and his com- 
pany after leaving Lattakoo. 
They said that he and his people were murdered 
near the town of Melita, about five days journey to 
the N.E. which is in the country of the Wanketzens, 
whose Chiefs name is Makkabba. Some present, 
especially our Bootchuana interpreter, (of whose 
honesty we all had a good opinion,) asserted, that 
when on a Commando along with the Wanketzens, 
they had seen Dr. Cowan's tent, sheep, spoons, and 
clothes. We inquired respecting the colour of the 
clothes— they said white and red. They said they 
were glad we had not spoken on that subject publicly, 
as many of these Wanketzens were now in Lattakoo. 
After a little further conversation, they told us that 
some of the clothes were in that district of Lattakoo, 
which we visited last Saturday. We did not deem it 
prudent however to ask for a sight of them, unless 
they should themselves offer it. 
One thing which makes an African town appear 
to a European as dull and deserted is, the almost 
total absence of smoke ; but while we were walking, 
