323 
CAPTURED WOMAN RETURNS 
to none in the land, except those of Da Tapo, whose herds 
figured up at over five thousand head. 
With regard to Da Tapo, he would never come near us, 
although all the other chiefs and we were on the most friendly 
terms together. From all we could learn Da Tapo was a bitter 
antagonist of all whites, whom he and others looked upon as un¬ 
welcome intruders into his country; therefore he hated them with 
true and genuine mistrust, a characteristic apparently also well 
developed in the fighting generals of other South African tribes. 
A woman who had been captured by the Matabele during 
their raid returned home in a most emaciated condition, while 
we were at the lake. She was taken by a regiment of Majacha 
(young men) who made her carry heavy loads, and otherwise 
treated her most shamefully on the way out. When nearing 
Matabeleland she escaped into the bush, and made her way 
home through the lion-infested wilds, sleeping at night in trees 
for safety, and subsisting on wild roots, and a few tortoises she 
occasionally captured in the desert, until she reached some 
friendly natives near the Makarikari, who gave her food and 
sent her on. The history of her miseries would fill a volume, 
and the crowning blow was that the husband discarded her 
when she returned. She wailed out her bitter grief to us, deplor¬ 
ing the loss of her children, whom the father would not return 
to her. The king, however, gave her two slaves and a patch 
of ground to cultivate, with a few goats to keep her in food. 
We had arranged with Stremboom to travel to Mongwato 
with his wagons, which were expected to arrive shortly from 
thence on their annual visit to the lake, to replenish his stock 
of trading goods and food, by an arrangement in existence 
between himself and some of the traders at Shoshong, who 
supplied him with the means to carry on his business at the 
lake. The wagons should leave on their return journey after 
a short stay to rest the oxen. Meanwhile, as the time hung 
heavy on our hands, I made a proposal to the king to hunt 
on shares for him if he would supply me with horses, which was 
accepted, and Urnkook the black missionary, scenting a supply 
