SICOMO’S. 
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and that without salt, or condiments of any kind 
whatever, and in the middle of a regular roasting 
hot day. The cow was very fat, and the bones full 
of marrow. 
The Kaffirs are happy dogs. One bushman Kaffir, 
after working two years for two heifers, took gladly 
our escort to his kraal. He left his heifers in charge 
of another Kaffir, while he went to a giraffe I had shot 
for meat, and, on returning, his heifers were gone. 
He followed the spoor far, and early next morning 
he saw lion-spoor also, on the track of his heifers. 
His hopes were faint, and a little farther he found 
their remains, and rejoined us the following day, 
and, laughing from mouth to ear, said, ‘ The lion had 
eaten them up; ’ and they do not appear to have 
cost him a second thought. 
I bent my gun straight again, made her fast to a 
tree, and fired her with a long string. I then put in 
nine drachms of fine powder, and fired her again in 
like manner : to my joy and surprise, I could see no 
enlargement whatever of the crack, and think I shall 
continue shooting with her, as she is my favourite 
gun. It is more than a crack : I could put a three¬ 
penny piece right through into the barrel, and cannot 
make up my mind whether it is dangerous or not 
to shoot with now. I fired four bullets from the 
shoulder at a target, and she appeared to shoot as 
well as ever. 
5 th. — Got early to Sicomo’s, a wild, queer place. 
The Kaffirs all live on the top of a high berg, having 
