12 
SPORT AND WAR. 
CHAP. III. 
this by passing the grain through water, there being no 
wind in that hot valley. We halted here for two days, 
and then passed on to attack 4 Charlie 5 and 4 Macomo,’ 
the two chiefs of the Caika tribe at the Chumie; but 
we found ail the villages deserted, the grain destroyed, 
and stock of all descriptions driven away; and as there 
was no breadstuff or provisions (except corn) at Fort 
Wiltshire, the English part of the expedition were 
becoming much famished from the want of food, for 
we had started with only three days’ rations, and had 
now been out a week ; and young troops are not over- 
provident at first. 
It was here and on this occasion that we saw the 
utility of dried meat as a food for soldiers, or indeed 
for any man. The Dutch 4 Burghers ’ invariably have 
a cross-bag, made of the prepared skin of a whole goat, 
which they carry by being tied by the middle over the 
crupper to the crupper staple of the saddle; this skin 
bag is filled on one side with 4 moss-biscuit,’ or very dry 
and light biscuit made from the finest flour, and 
mixed up with 4 mosto,’ or the unfermented juice of the 
grape. It makes a biscuit that will keep for ever, and 
is very nutritious. The other side is filled with what 
they call 4 biltong,’ or meat dried in the sun—it may be 
of beef or game. It is just sufficiently salted to prevent 
flies getting to it, and then thoroughly dried in the 
sun ; so that a pound of beef is reduced almost to an 
