THE REGION SOUTH OF THE ZAMBESI. 249 
which calls out the energy of the human race in a 
marvellous manner, and spurs them on to the greatest 
exertions. 
Presently my old servant, Maclilapean, came to me 
and said he could not stand it here any longer, the 
country was altogether too gloomy for him ; it was a 
regular desert; the rivers had no water, only sand ; 
it was a place for Impisis (hyaenas) to live in, not for 
men. Then he begged me most earnestly to let him 
go, for he wanted to get back to his wife, his children, 
and his hut, to the green hills and mountains on the 
Tugela, where the oxen were fat and the cows gave 
plenty of milk. 
As a Mr. Sutton, of Swinburne’s party, was just about 
to return to England, having been suddenly enriched 
by the death of a wealthy uncle, I let Maclilapean go 
with him, for the poor fellow was quite ill with home¬ 
sickness, and had lost all his bright humour and 
cheerfulness. 
The miners were getting very short of meat when 
two Bushmen arrived at the camp, rejoicing in the 
wonderful names of Kamurpisi and Kamarana, who 
brought news of the presence of large herds of game 
on the Lower Sacha. The miners tried to persuade me 
to join the aborigines in a hunting expedition, and, as 
I was already rather tired of the monotony of camp- 
life, I agreed, and providing myself with weapons, 
provisions, bed-clothes, cooking utensils, &c., I soon 
set out with my strange companions ; but, before doing 
so, I made my Kaffirs set a hearty meal before them, 
for the poor fellows looked as if they had fasted for 
months, and been well flogged into the bargain. As 
they understood the Bechuana language, I learnt 
through my servants, Sililo and Umloi, that Kamarana 
was unmarried, but that Ramurpisi was now living 
with his third wife and had several children. His first 
two wives and most of their children had been carried 
off by the Matabeles, and he himself had barely escaped 
with his life. 
The Bushmen of these districts live like hunted game 
