8o Notes on South African Hunting, 
The end of the start—A refractory chief. 
a little corn and a few ground nuts and berries; 
and it was now July 20. Not that we ourselves 
had much more, but the boys did look so woe¬ 
fully thin and weak, and really were very bad. 
If we went on, the chances of our getting 
through were exceedingly small; if we went 
back, we should have to live mostly on berries 
for at least three weeks, before we could get 
help from Shoshong. That night I deliberated 
long. Ultimate^ I determined to do, distaste¬ 
ful as it was, what I have since seen to have 
been our only chance, to turn back to 
Linokane. 
Next day I let four of the freshest boys, who 
wanted to go on, go ; having first given them a 
note to Mr. Francis, of Shoshong, asking for 
help, another to Coh Carrington to tell him 
what had happened, and all the water we could 
spare. They went off in the highest spirits, 
and it was of course comparatively easy for 
them to go through, now that they had only 
their own water to carry. 
It took us a day and a half to get back to 
Linokane, and by the time we got there the 
boys could scarcely walk, and my feet were 
