266 
AFRICAN HUNTING. 
and, by the aid of an interpreter, gave me all the in¬ 
formation he could, and was very kind and obliging. 
He is not a bad fellow at heart, I think, but a dread¬ 
ful beggar and very covetous. He appears to have 
no idea of being refused anything he fancies, gives 
you nothing in return, wants your things on his own 
terms, and asks outrageous prices for his. He 
is young, active, an elephant-hunter himself, a good 
shot, and possesses guns made by Wilkinson, Hock, 
and Manton. On our return I swam the river, which 
is here about 300 yards wide, and he invited me to 
dinner. We dined in the open air, and were attended 
by the prettiest girls in the kraal, who knelt before 
us and held the dishes from which we ate. They 
wear no clothing but a skin round their loins ; their 
legs, arms, necks, and waists are ornamented with 
beads of every variety; and ivory, brass, and copper 
bracelets. Finer made girls than some of the well- 
fed Kaffirs, I suppose, are not to be found. They have 
small hands and feet, beautifully-rounded arms, 
delicate wrists and ankles; their eyes and teeth are 
unsurpassable, and they are lithe and supple as a 
willow wand. 
They say perfect happiness does not exist in this 
world, but I should say a Kaffir chief comes nearer 
to it than any other mortal ; his slightest wish 
is law, he knows no contradiction, has the power of 
life and death in his hands at any moment, can take 
any quantity of wives and put them away at any 
moment, he is waited upon like an infant, and every 
