BAD NEWS FROM MERICO. 
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rials to work on, built themselves not only a good 
substantial house with five large rooms, but really a 
tasteful, elegant building, with a wide verandah on 
three sides. They are clever, learned, well-informed 
men also, and pass every spare moment in hard study, 
in acquiring the Bechuana language, which is no easy 
task, as they have only the New Testament, translated 
by Moffat, to assist them. They are happy, hos¬ 
pitable fellows, and make most excellent colonists, 
being able to turn their hands to anything in the 
world. I found two letters awaiting me from Natal, 
but none from England, so that I must curb my 
impatience a little longer. 
Bad news from Merico; two more of my horses 
are dead, which I thought were salted, and had 
sold with a guarantee for 22 1. 10s. each, which 
I must now refund. I have not heard the fate of 
two more I left behind, also sold guaranteed. The 
Kaffirs tell me that the war with Moshesh is over, 
the Boers having made peace. According to their 
version, Moshesh had by far the best of it; and I 
hear Mahura and Pretorius had a little target 
practice at one another for a few hours, when the 
Boers retired worsted, but they will tell a very dif¬ 
ferent tale. 
18 th .— Hasfowl Kojo , or Vulture Head .-—Left 
Sechele’s on Monday, the 15th, he presenting me 
with three panther skins, a mean present after all 
his promises and all that I had given him ; but it 
is the character of the Kaffirs to get as much as 
