394 
THE NEW AFRICA 
hold his horse. With no other weapon than a little stick in 
his hand, he confronted his brother and his rabble, quietly 
telling them that he was tired of all the trouble they caused, 
and that they had better now leave his country and join their 
friends the Boers, for he would not endure them in his country 
any longer; then, turning sadly away, he mounted his horse 
and rode home, none of Khamani’s men having the pluck to 
touch the man they were actually conspiring against when he 
was at their mercy. 
Khamani obtained permission from the Boer Government 
to enter into and occupy that portion of the Transvaal where 
he now resides. 
The next few miles of our journey were made through 
swamps sustained by overflowing water from the Mathlabaas 
river, which we had to cross often through four feet of water 
and rushes. 
On December 25th Grobelar exchanged one of his wagons 
for twenty-five Damara oxen that had reached this country, 
vid Lake Ngami, in Erickson’s care. These cattle were grace¬ 
fully light of body, and fleet of limb, almost like game, in 
strong contrast to the enormous, large-horned, heavy beasts, 
weighing over one thousand pounds, that Grobelar had brought 
from Mongwato with him. The trader who sold these oxen 
to Grobelar informed us that his principal had been fined £411, 
19s. 6d. for endeavouring to smuggle the goods he conveyed 
through the Transvaal without paying the necessary duties for 
them to that state. 
We passed round the Modikel or Marikel Hill, an extremity 
of the Waterberg range of mountains, and, continuing along 
its eastern slope, camped near a large cave in the mountain 
called Marimathla, where the natives are accustomed to conceal 
themselves during war time. 
The wonderful fertility of this district was demonstrated 
to us by a Boer called Stephanus Marks, who from his gardens 
fetched us green mealies on the cob, already fit to eat, planted 
in the soil not over two months before. 
