320 
AFRICA AND ITS EXPLORATION. 
During tlie voyage that had ended so disastrously, I 
had noticed some trees on the river-bank with a whitish 
bark, growing from twenty to forty feet in height. 
What was most remarkable about them was the way in 
which, from the boughs that overhung the river, masses 
of red-brown roots descended like a beard, sometimes as 
much as six feet in length. 
The rain fell heavily all the next morning, and in the 
afternoon the wind blew so icy cold, that although the 
servants did all they could to cover up the front of my 
hut with mats, my body suffered from repeated chills. 
My illness increased so much that I was quite unable to 
turn myself without assistance. I had a sort of couch 
extemporized out of some packing-cases, on which I 
reclined and got what rest I could. While I was 
lounging in this way, I heard a conversation going on 
outside the hut amongst my servants, who supposed 
that I was asleep. One of them, Borili, was saying that 
it was a lucky thing that Xyaka (the doctor) was sick, 
and proposed that they should all make off with my 
property to the southern bank of the Chobe. The rest 
of them did not seem altogether inclined to acquiesce, 
but I made up my mind to nip anything like a con¬ 
spiracy in the bud. Calling them all in, I made each of 
them a present of beads, except Borili, whom I asked 
whether lie expected a gun from me when we parted, as 
a remuneration for his services. Of course he told me 
he should reckon on his gun ; but he looked somewhat 
surprised when I replied that he was much mistaken, 
and that having found out that he was a bad servant 
and a thief, I should keep my eye on him, and that if 
he repeated his misconduct, I should send him back to 
Sesheke for Sepopo to punish. He knew what that 
meant. 
Towards evening, the fever having slightly abated, 
I made the servants lift me on to the ground, where I 
sat with my back supported against the bed. In this 
position I received a visit from some Mabundas, from 
whom I obtained various specimens of their handicraft. 
To one of the boatmen, I was able, out of the very 
