298 
AFRICAN HUNTING. 
to enable the poor oxen to stand. It was a critical 
moment, and I don’t know when I have felt so ner¬ 
vous as I did then ; for, in case anything had taken 
fire, we had hardly a drop of water to extinguish it. 
The road is frightfully heavy, and this is the third 
day that most of my oxen have not tasted water ; 
only eight got any at Batlanarmi; and though we 
treked most of last night, in spite of the darkness, 
I do not expect to reach any until to-morrow, and 
we must ride all night to-night. Mutla has gone 
mad, from sun and thirst together, and run away 
into the bush. Matakit brought him back, strug- 
gling frantically, and I have been obliged to make 
him fast. I hope it is only a sun stroke, and he will 
come round, his poor head being half battered in in a 
dozen places by savage, barbarous treatment. I sup¬ 
pose his brains have only a slight covering of skull, 
and Kaffirs wear no hats or covering for their heads. 
I have been obliged to load up, for the second time, 
Sechele’s daughter, child, goods and chattels, and half 
an eland bull killed yesterday. We left Sechele’s 
other wagon behind last night, a perfect wreck ; 
every spoke is out of one wheel, and past my skill 
to repair. He never asked me to try, his good 
sense telling him that it was all but an impossibility. 
lith.—Sechele’s State .—We arrived here yester¬ 
day ; found a large arrival of German missionaries 
from Natal, no less than six ; they are active, ener¬ 
getic fellows, all tradesmen and good workmen, and 
have in the space of six weeks, with wretched mate- 
