Chap. XII. 
LIOXS—ARABS. 
223 
The numbers of large game above Libonta are prodigious, and 
they proved remarkably tame. Eighty-one buffaloes defiled in 
slow procession before om’ fire one evenmg within gun-shot; and 
herds of splendid elands stood by day without fear at two hundred 
yards distance. They were all of the striped variety, and with 
their forearm markings, large dewlaps, and sleek skins, were a 
beautiful sight to see. The lions here roar much more than in 
the country near the lake, Zouga, and Chobe. One evening we 
had a good opportunity of hearing the utmost exertions the animal 
can make in that line. We had made om: beds on a large sand¬ 
bank, and could be easily seen from all sides; a lion on the 
opposite shore amused himself for hours by roaring as loudly as 
he could, putting, as is usual in such cases, his mouth near the 
ground, to make the sound reverberate. The river was too broad 
for a ball to reach him, so we let him enjoy himself, certain that 
he dm’st not have been guilty of the impertinence in the Bushman 
country. Wherever the game abounds, these animals exist in 
proportionate numbers. Here they were very frequently seen, 
and two of the largest I ever saw seemed about as tall as com¬ 
mon donkeys; but the mane made their bodies appear rather 
larger. 
A party of Arabs from Zanzibar were in the country at this 
time. Sekeletu had gone from Naliele to the town of his mother 
before we arrived from the north, but left an ox for our use, and 
instructions for us to follow him thither. We came down a branch 
of the Leeambye called Marile, wliich departs from the main river 
in lat. 15° 15' 43" S., and is a" fine deep stream about sixty 
yards wide ; it makes the whole of the country around Naliele an 
island. When sleeping at a village in the same latitude as Naliele 
town two of the Arabs mentioned made their appearance; they 
were quite as dark as the Makololo, but, having their heads shaved, 
I could not compare their hair with that of the inhabitants of the 
country. When we were about to leave they came to bid adieu, 
but I asked them to stay and help us to eat our ox. As they had 
scruples about eating an animal not blooded in their own way, 
I gained their good will by saying I was quite of their opinion as 
to getting quit of the blood, and gave them two legs of an animal 
slaughtered by themselves. They professed the greatest detesta- 
