44 
THE NEW AFRICA 
personally, having met him once when Matambanja paid 
Westbeech a trading visit some years previously. Jan Yeyers 
was a tall, spare man of over fifty years, an intrepid hunter, with 
a record given him by Westbeech, which caused us to place the 
highest confidence in him. His introduction to Matambanja was 
to serve us in obtaining bearers westward, while Jan was to escort 
our bearer troop back from there to Panda Matenga. Highly 
satisfied with our bargain, and also having persuaded Franz 
Selous to join us as interpreter, we felt that the fates were in our 
favour. Franz certainly displayed a resigned melancholy at 
leaving Panda Matenga, doubtless owing to an attachment he 
had formed for some dusky lady residing there; but we felt that, 
once safely beyond the wiles of his fair charmer, his cheerfulness 
and energy would return, redoubled by the sport and adventure, 
for which he expressed so decided a predilection. 
Rudolf, the German boy, our cook, also displayed a keen 
interest in the arrangements we were making, and we were all 
anxious to be on the move. 
The Jesuit fathers, with whom we spent many pleasant 
evenings, tried hard to convert us to their faith, and if kind¬ 
liness and persuasion had been convincing factors in matters 
of this sort, they surely would have conquered at the outset. 
Father Kroot confessed at last that he wished us to become 
pioneers for his mission, to which mark of esteem we could only 
with much politeness give a negative answer, as we had other 
fish to fry. 
Some of George Westbeech’s hunters, a motley group of 
coloured, hard-looking men, who were within reach of news that 
white men had arrived at Panda Matenga, turned up with 
unmistakable signs of expectancy on their swarthy counte¬ 
nances, not to be mistaken after the experience of Westbeech’s 
first visit to our tent. Recognising the mute appeal, we humanely 
shelled out a few bottles to establish our reputation as men 
of the right sort, and were rewarded by some most stirring 
hunting tales, told when all reserve was cast aside, and the true 
nature of the men came out in graphic sentences, which I am 
