324 
AFRICA AND ITS EXPLORATION. 
In tlie course of that day Inkambella, the most 
important man in the country next to Sepopo, passed 
down the river. 
To hold out any longer was simply impossible. I 
grew worse and worse. I felt that I had no alternative 
than to yield to necessity, and calling the boatmen 
together, I announced my intention of going back. To 
my surprise, I found that my resolution had been fore¬ 
stalled ; boats were already waiting, ready to retrace our 
course. In spite of my weakness, I was inclined to take 
my people to task for presuming to decide for me, but I 
was given to understand that they were only obeying 
orders ; it transpired that Sepopo had given definite in¬ 
structions that my health was to be particularly studied 
while I was in his country ; as I was a doctor, the king 
had been anxious that no mischief should befall me, and 
regarding me as a sort of magician, he feared that some 
dire calamity would happen to his kingdom if I were to 
die while under his protection. 
When the men had placed me in one boat, and my 
servant Narri in another, they declined to start until I 
had distributed some presents amongst them, and I 
heard an altercation going on, which I was too weak to 
check, because my servants had detected them trying to 
steal some of my goods. 
All day long the sun glowed fiercely down, and I 
was tortured with the most agonizing thirst. Once, 
in the hope of obtaining a little relief, I let my fevered 
hands hang from the boat’s side in the water, but 
my people instantly replaced them on my knees, with 
the warning that I must not entice the crocodiles to 
follow us. 
After a painful night in an encampment a few miles 
to the east of Katonga, I was put on board again and 
carried on to Sesheke. I was conveyed by the boatmen 
to Westbeech’s hut. He did not recognize me. 
Here is a heart-rending scene, which affords a fair 
sample of the cruelties practised by Sepopo, who at the 
time was king of the powerful Marutbse Maunda king¬ 
dom. 
