THE BOER TREK OF 1879 
877 
until they reached Thlakane, the first permanent water to be 
depended on after leaving Thlaballa. From Thlakane the 
leaders returned with all haste, carrying water to relieve the 
distress of their fellows behind, and, by a proper organisation, 
saved the lives of many who would otherwise have inevitably 
perished most miserably of thirst. Even as it was, there was 
great mortality amongst those who were last on the trek, as is 
testified by the unburied remains; skulls and bones were found 
lying at different places near the road where some poor mortals 
had breathed their last. The most pathetic relics of this cruel 
misfortune were the skulls of several children lying near 
Malatzwye, for the distressed trekkers found no time to bury 
the dead. 
It must have been terrible! Many of the trekkers, who 
finally succeeded in reaching Thlakane with their most valu¬ 
able belongings and families packed on sledges, were so dis¬ 
heartened by their misfortunes that they would not face the 
terrors of thirst again to go in and fetch their wagons out, but 
simply let them remain as they were left standing, ofttimes 
with oxen dead in the yokes, and made arrangements to pro¬ 
ceed by the help of their co-trekkers. We passed the wreckage, 
such as wheels and ironwork, of many of these deserted wagons, 
for Khama, although well aware of their desertion, disdained to 
appropriate any of the Dutchmen’s goods, and gave strict orders 
to his people not to interfere with them. However, it is related 
that he sent off supplies of water on the track of the sufferers, 
and by this timely assistance was instrumental in saving the 
lives of a few sufferers. The reason the deserted wagons had 
fallen to pieces so shortly after their abandonment was pro¬ 
bably owing to the grass fires that had ignited and burnt the 
lighter woodwork of the wagons, while the more solid portions, 
such as wheels, etc., remained intact. 
Some of the Mosarwas in the desert could not overcome 
their natural instinct to at least institute a search for food 
amongst the deserted goods of the Boers. One of these parties 
discovered a sack of coffee-beans, which from the nature of the 
