CHAPTER XXVIII 
Meet Mosarwas, who show us water—Thlakane water-pits, bad water—Mongwato 
cattle stand thirst well—Reach Haakedoorn Vley—Good water—Paul and 
the goat are great friends—Trek Boers of 1879 suffer thirst at Malatzwye— 
About the trek Boers—The Lichachane water-hole—About the water-pans— 
We cross the Pooh-Pooh sand-belt under trying circumstances—A strong 
Mongwato—-Hear that Rudolf shot a big elephant. 
In the afternoon we inspanned,and started on our two days’journey 
without water towards Thlakane. The first ten miles brought 
us to the Tschookootza salt pan, quite unfit for use as drinking 
water, and then, in the moonlight, we made another eight miles, 
and let the oxen graze on the moist grass to refresh themselves 
with what little water they might absorb from the dew. A short 
two hours later we were on the road again, and completed nine 
miles more before daybreak, when it was time to rest the cattle 
and let them feed, with the intention that they should have the 
full benefit of the dew, now lying plentifully on the grass, before 
the sun’s rays should evaporate the moisture. A further trek 
of thirteen miles brought us within a single trek of Thlakane 
about noon, when some Mosarwas came to our camp, attracted 
by the cracking of our whip. Hearing that we were strangers, 
never likely to travel the country again, they volunteered the 
information that there was good water about three miles off, to 
the left of the road facing Mongwato. We bargained with them 
to give our oxen a drink, and, on condition that we should not 
follow them up, they went off with the oxen, returning, within 
an hour, with the cattle well filled out with water. We had 
our misgivings at first about trusting the cattle to their sole 
care to go to the water, but Steele assured us that Khama’s 
influence was so great, even in this outlying district, that there 
was no fear of treachery. We paid these good fellows with 
