upposed to indicate a wish to deprecate their wrath.

"Well, Livingstone HAS played us a pretty trick, giving us in charge of
an idiot. Catch us trusting him again. What can this fellow mean by his
thanks and talk about water? Oh, you born fool! take us to the wagons,
and you will get both meat and water. Wouldn't a thrashing bring him to
his senses again?" "No, no, for then he will run away, and we shall be
worse off than we are now."

The hunters regained the wagons next day by their own sagacity, which
becomes wonderfully quickened by a sojourn in the Desert; and we enjoyed
a hearty laugh on the explanation of their midnight colloquies. Frequent
mistakes of this kind occur. A man may tell his interpreter to say that
he is a member of the family of the chief of the white men; "YES, YOU
SPEAK LIKE A CHIEF," is the reply, meaning, as they explain it, that a
chief may talk nonsense without any one daring to contradict him.
They probably have ascertained, from that same interpreter, that this
relative of the white chief is very poor, having scarcely any thing in
his wagon.

I sometimes felt annoyed at the low estimation in which some of my
hunting friends were held; for, believing that the chase is eminently
conducive to the formation of a brave and noble character, and that the
contest with wild beasts is well adapted for fostering that coolness
in emergencies, and active presence of mind, which we all admire, I
was naturally anxious that a higher estimate of my countrymen should be
formed in the native mind. "Have these hunters, who come so far and
work so hard, no meat at home?"--"Why, these men are rich, and could
slaughter oxen every day of their lives."--"And yet they come here, and
endure so much thirst for the sake of this dry meat, none of which is
equal to beef?"--"Yes, it is for the sake of play besides" (the idea of
sport not being in the language). This produces a laugh, as much as to
say, "Ah! you know better;" or, "Your friends are fools." When they can
get a man to kill large quantities of game for them, whatever HE may
think of himself or of his achievements, THEY pride themselves in having
adroitly turned to good account the folly of an itinerant butcher.

The water having at last flowed into the wells we had dug in sufficient
quantity to allow a good drink to all our cattle, we departed from
Serotli in the afternoon; but as the sun, even in winter, which it now
was, is always very powerful by day, th