09 
Although the number of officers of the British Army who have served 
Her Majesty in different parts of South Africa, in times of both peace 
and war, is very large, it has fallen to the lot of but few of these to 
penetrate so far into the interior as the newly-occupied country of 
Mashonaland; for which reason it is hoped that a few notes by one 
who, joining the British South Africa Company's Police after some 
three years of service in the Cape Colony, Natal and Zululand, has found 
himself in a position to compare (from a military and amateur sports¬ 
man's point of view) the chief characteristics of this more northern 
territory with those of the better known parts of the country, may not 
be without interest. In order to give the reader a clear idea of the 
extent and situation of the territory occupied by the Chartered Company, 
it will be best, before proceeding to a description of the country, to say 
a few words as to its boundaries and the routes by which it can be 
reached. Mashonaland proper only forms a portion of the territory in 
question, which is a strip of country lying entirely inland, between 
Matabeleland on the west and the Portuguese sphere of influence on 
the east, bounded on the north by the River Zambesi, which is in 
Portuguese hands, and having for its southern boundaries the River 
Crocodile (the northern boundary of the Transvaal), and its tributary 
the Shashi, between which latter river and the Bechuanaland Protec¬ 
torate is a narrow strip of country known as “ the disputed territory," 
to which the two great chiefs, Kharna of the Bechuanas and Tobengula 
of the Matabeles, both lay claim. From this it will be seen that when 
the Company first occupied the country they were literally surrounded 
by possible enemies, the Portuguese on the north and east, the power¬ 
ful Matabeles on the west, and the Transvaal Boers on the south, whilst 
their only means of approaching the country was through “ the dis¬ 
puted territory," which is considered by the Matabele as part of their 
own country. In less than six months after the expedition entered 
Mashonaland disputes arose on the east with the Portuguese, which 
ended, in May of last year, with a skirmish near Masse Kesse, in which 
a handful of the Chartered Company's Police with one 7-pr. put to 
flight the few hundred black soldiers led by Portuguese officers, who 
attempted to attack them in a strong position which they had taken up. 
This was followed by the evacuation of Masse Kesse by the Portuguese 
and its occupation by the Chartered Company, but after negotiations 
2. VOL. XX. 10 
