Chap. IV. 
NCHOKOTSA — SALT-PANS, 
77 
attempts to visit Mm, lie despatched three detachments of his 
men with thirteen brown cows to Lechulatebej thirteen white 
cows to Sekomij and thirteen black cows to Sechele, with a 
request to each to assist the white men to reach him. Their 
pohcy-j however^ was to keep him out of view, and act as Ms 
agents in purchasing with Ms ivory the goods he wanted. This 
is thorougMy African; and that continent being without friths 
and arms of the sea, the tribes in the centre have always been 
debarred from European intercourse, by its uMversal prevalence 
among aU the people around the coasts. 
Before setting out on our tliird journey to Sebituane, it was 
necessary to visit Kuruman; and Sechele, eager, for the sake of 
the commission thereon, to get the ivory of that cMef into Ms 
own hands, allowed all the messengers to leave before our return. 
Sekomi, however, was more than usually gracious, and even 
fiirmshed us with a guide, but no one knew the path beyond 
Nchokotsa, wMch we Mtended to foUow. When we reached that 
point, we found that the main spring of the gun of another of his 
men, who was weU acquainted with the Bushmen, through whose 
country we should pass, had opportunely broken. I never under¬ 
took to mend a gun with greater zest than tMs; for, under a 
promise of Ms guidance, we went to the north instead of westward. 
AU the other guides were most UberaUy rewarded by Mr. 
OsweU, 
We passed quickly over a hard country, wMch is perfectly flat. 
A little soil lying on calcareous tufa, over a tract of several 
hundreds of miles, supports a vegetation of fine sweet short grass, 
and mopane and baobab trees. On several parts of tMs we found 
large salt-pans, one of wMcli, Mtwetwe, is fifteen miles broad, and 
one hundred long. The latitude might have been taken on its 
horizon as weU as upon the sea. 
Although these cmious spots seem perfectly level, aU those in 
tMs direction have a gentle slope to the north-east: tMther the 
rain-water, which sometimes covers them, gently gravitates, 
TMs, it may be recoUected, is the dii^ection of the Zouga. The 
salt dissolved in the water has by tMs means aU been transferred 
to one pan in that direction, named Cliuantsa; on it we see a 
cake of salt and Ume an inch and a half thick. AU the others 
have an efflorescence of lime and one of the nitrates only, and 
