268 
AFRICAN HUNTING. 
immediately despatched a messenger for an immense 
earthenware jar, which would hold at least two chests, 
and was highly indignant at th e pigmy appearance of 
the tea I put in it. He then plagued me for meal, 
and when I offered to exchange with him for corn, 
provided he gave me two measures for one, he de¬ 
clared there was none in the State; he lies like a 
trooper, and only laughs when you find him out. 
He appears to be very good-tempered, however; but 
all Kaffirs have great self-command, and they rarely, 
if ever, come to blows. 
I discharged John for refusing to obey me, and 
the day after Lechulatebe gave him a wife ; he will 
give me one, also, if I like to remain here, but I 
must not take her away. Powder and lead he has 
in abundance. 
18 th .—Inspanned and started home, earlier than 
I had intended, in consequence of one of my oxen 
being sick. Lechulatebe, fearing lung sickness, 
would not allow them to remain. I was disap¬ 
pointed in an elephant hunt, owing to a man dying 
most inopportunely in the State. Lechulatebe would 
not let me go, unless I took one of my own people 
with me ; he said that in case any accident happened 
he should get the credit of having ordered his people 
to kill me. To-day I measured two trees called 
mowane ; one was twenty-seven and the other twenty- 
eight yards round the bole. At about six feet from 
the ground they spread into four immense stems, all 
bending outwards, and leaving in the middle a spa- 
