96 
THE NEW AFRICA 
things had come to a climax. Jan Yeyers, too, seemed also 
to have had all the pluck taken out of him; and although 
Hammar presented him with a beautiful little rifle, and I with 
a valuable double twelve-bore shot gun, his cheerfulness would 
not return. He assumed a melancholy grieved attitude towards 
us, seldom conversing with anybody, and we knew something 
serious would happen soon. The experiences of this unknown 
river had put the last straw on the camel’s back. But had it 
not been for the seriousness of our position, we could have 
laughed at the doleful countenances of our companions, who 
seemed to be full of superstition and fear at travelling further 
into those unknown regions. In the evening Jan called me 
aside and said that on Monday he would turn back without 
fail, this being Friday. I argued with him, reminding him of 
his promise to accompany us to Matambanja’s and the com¬ 
paratively enormous pay and presents we had made him. All 
to no purpose. He said that as soon as we had reached the 
Chobe, and he was sure we were on its banks again, his mind 
was made up, and he would return. I told Hammar what had 
happened, and we then, without betraying the situation, had 
a conversation with ten of our best boys, whom we had chosen 
because of their previous good behaviour as our personal servants; 
and told them that besides the presents they were to obtain at 
Westbeech’s, we had decided to give them each a gun on their 
return if they remained with us to the last. The whole of them 
—Chiki, Kalaluka, Tshamboka, Sturman, Pikinini, Swartland, 
Springkant, Niki, Tabanjaba, and Jack—expressed great delight 
at our liberality, and we felt that should the others leave us 
we could still make a fight to gain our destination with these 
faithful fellows. 
