338 
AFRICAN HUNTING. 
his appearance; he was starved and wretched, and 
understood none of us, but appeared vastly pleased 
with his change of quarters, and made himself quite 
at home directly. An uncle of the chief’s told 
me he had just such another, that I might have for 
some beads, so I sent for him also, as a companion 
for Ngami. A regular Bushman this was, and I 
christened him Meercat, from his resemblance to 
the animal, a kind of ocelot. He was as fine a little 
fellow as ever I saw when I last saw him at the 
house of a German missionary in Merico, Mr. Zim¬ 
merman, in whose care I left them both. 
In my ramblings over the deserts I have been 
witness to frightful scenes of misery among the 
Masaras, or wandering Bushmen. Once, I remember, 
I came across a very old emaciated woman, leading 
two little boys by the hand, about, I should guess, 
four and five years of age, subsisting on roots, 
berries, land tortoises, bitter melons, and anything 
they could find, without a vestige of clothing or ha¬ 
bitation of any sort. I told my fellows to bring them 
to the wagon, but she would not come, and I never 
saw or heard more of them. There is little doubt as 
to their fate : nothing but starvation awaited them. 
Sept 30.— My Kaffirs have all returned to their 
duty, and expressed great contrition for their conduct. 
Baffeta’s* three girls have run away, and no more has 
* Raffeta was a Bastard, a head man in his own tribe, an 
experienced elephant-hunter in these parts, who accompanied 
me to hunt and shoot on halves. He had lots of friends, as 
