the Zouga--Pitfalls--Trees of the
District--Elephants--New Species of Antelope--Fish in the Zouga.

Such was the desert which we were now preparing to cross--a region
formerly of terror to the Bechuanas from the numbers of serpents which
infested it and fed on the different kinds of mice, and from the intense
thirst which these people often endured when their water-vessels were
insufficient for the distances to be traveled over before reaching the
wells.

Just before the arrival of my companions, a party of the people of the
lake came to Kolobeng, stating that they were sent by Lechulatebe,
the chief, to ask me to visit that country. They brought such flaming
accounts of the quantities of ivory to be found there (cattle-pens
made of elephants' tusks of enormous size, &c.), that the guides of the
Bakwains were quite as eager to succeed in reaching the lake as any one
of us could desire. This was fortunate, as we knew the way the strangers
had come was impassable for wagons.

Messrs. Oswell and Murray came at the end of May, and we all made a
fair start for the unknown region on the 1st of June, 1849. Proceeding
northward, and passing through a range of tree-covered hills to
Shokuane, formerly the residence of the Bakwains, we soon after entered
on the high road to the Bamangwato, which lies generally in the bed of
an ancient river or wady that must formerly have flowed N. to S. The
adjacent country is perfectly flat, but covered with open forest and
bush, with abundance of grass; the trees generally are a kind of acacia
called "Monato", which appears a little to the south of this region, and
is common as far as Angola. A large caterpillar, called "Nato", feeds by
night on the leaves of these trees, and comes down by day to bury itself
at the root in the sand, in order to escape the piercing rays of the
sun. The people dig for it there, and are fond of it when roasted, on
account of its pleasant vegetable taste. When about to pass into the
chrysalis state, it buries itself in the soil, and is sometimes
sought for as food even then. If left undisturbed, it comes forth as a
beautiful butterfly: the transmutation was sometimes employed by me with
good effect when speaking with the natives, as an illustration of our
own great change and resurrection.

The soil is sandy, and there are here and there indications that at
spots which now afford no water whatever there were formerly wells and
cattle stations.

Boatlanama