misses fire?" I placed it to my shoulder as he came on at
full speed, and that is tremendous, though generally he is a
lumbering-looking animal in his paces. A small bush and bunch of grass
fifteen yards off made him swerve a little, and exposed his shoulder. I
just heard the ball crack there as I fell flat on my face. The pain must
have made him renounce his purpose, for he bounded close past me on to
the water, where he was found dead. In expressing my thankfulness to
God among my men, they were much offended with themselves for not
being present to shield me from this danger. The tree near me was a
camel-thorn, and reminded me that we had come back to the land of thorns
again, for the country we had left is one of evergreens.

* It is probably a species allied to the 'Sternotherus
sinuatus' of Dr. Smith, as it has no disagreeable smell. This
variety annually leaves the water with so much regularity for
the deposit of its eggs, that the natives decide on the time
of sowing their seed by its appearance.

JULY 27TH. We reached the town of Libonta, and were received with
demonstrations of joy such as I had never witnessed before. The women
came forth to meet us, making their curious dancing gestures and loud
lulliloos. Some carried a mat and stick, in imitation of a spear and
shield. Others rushed forward and kissed the hands and cheeks of the
different persons of their acquaintance among us, raising such a dust
that it was quite a relief to get to the men assembled and sitting with
proper African decorum in the kotla. We were looked upon as men risen
from the dead, for the most skillful of their diviners had pronounced us
to have perished long ago. After many expressions of joy at meeting, I
arose, and, thanking them, explained the causes of our long delay, but
left the report to be made by their own countrymen. Formerly I had
been the chief speaker, now I would leave the task of speaking to them.
Pitsane then delivered a speech of upward of an hour in length, giving
a highly flattering picture of the whole journey, of the kindness of the
white men in general, and of Mr. Gabriel in particular. He concluded by
saying that I had done more for them than they expected; that I had not
only opened up a path for them to the other white men, but conciliated
all the chiefs along the route. The oldest man present rose and answered
this speech, and, among other things, alluded to the disgust I felt at
the Makolol