30 
AFRICAN HUNTING. 
18 th .—We were delayed in starting by the oxen 
having strayed. We treked to the Umslali, saddled 
up and rode to Maclean’s, where we took in a 
sack of potatoes, and stored our pockets with 
capsicums. I killed a koran. 
KM.—Again we commenced the day by losing 
the oxen, which were not found till after midday. 
We reached the Umvoti after dark. I made two 
nose-bags for my horses, and had some good fun 
trying to make my mare stand on the velt, every 
attempt being a signal failure. She set my nooses 
at defiance, and ended by breaking the bridle. 
2(M.—To-day I engaged two Kaffirs, Jack and 
Jacob; and brought a muid of mealies for the 
horses. On coming into a mud sluit, down a steep 
bank, the sudden check of the wagon threw me 
off the box, under the near wheel, which passed 
over above my knee. I rolled out of the way of 
the other wheel, and fortunately escaped without 
further injury than a very severe bruise. Though 
I had no bone broken, my thigh swelled very much, 
and the shaking of the wagon increased the irritation 
and gave me great pain. It was a wonderful escape, 
as there were 3,000 pounds weight of picks in the 
wagon, and nothing but the fact of the ground being 
very soft where I fell could have saved a broken 
thigh; the swelling was so rapid that my trousers 
had to be slit up with a knife in order to get them 
off, and for the next twelve hours I had two Hot¬ 
tentot women, the wives of the drivers, rubbing in 
