about on the opposite hills, an occasional shriek from
which indicated some prowling jackals or hyaenas on the look-out for
prey. I soon began to feel very cold, and returned to creep again under
the folds of my tent.

The following day was spent in an unsuccessful trip after elephants that
Inkau had heard were near the Imvoti; we saw nothing of them, and
returned home tired and hungry.

Amongst the members of this kraal was a very nice-looking Kaffir woman.
The women can be handsome, although perhaps admiration for them is an
_acquired taste_. Well, Peshauna (the girl's name) was the best-looking
of Inkau's wives, and was placed as head woman of Inkau's kraal; she did
but little work, and was highly dressed, in the extreme of the fashion,
not in crinoline or embroidery, but in beads and brass. Bound her head
she had a broad band of light-bine and white beads; a pendent string of
the latter hanging in a graceful curve over her eyelids, giving them the
sleepy, indolent look assumed by so many of our fair sex. Bound her
neck in numbers, strings of beads were negligently hung, and a little
apron of fringe about a foot long was fastened round her waist; this was
neatly ornamented with beads of red, white, and blue; her wrists were
also decorated with bracelets made of beads and brass, while her ankles
were encircled with a fringe made from monkey's hair. This was the
full-dress costume of Peshauna. To these adornments the most affable
and agreeable manners were added, quite divested of that _hauteur_ and
assumption so often practised by acknowledged belles; she had a most
graceful way of taking her snuff; and stuck through her ears were two
very long mimosa-thorns for the purpose of combing her woolly locks. I
think all must agree in placing her on record as a most charming and
divine nymph! She was, alas, another's! Twenty cows had been paid for
her, and five men assagied, before she became the property of my gallant
friend Inkau. It took at least a pint of gin before I could work him up
to tell his story, which he did in words something like the following;
his action and expression, however, had so much to do with the beauty of
the story, that it loses fearfully in retailing:--

"I had long heard people talk of Peshauna being a beauty, but did not
think much about it until I went buffalo-shooting near her father's
kraal. I stopped there one night and saw her. _Ma mee_! she was
_muthle kakulu_!" (the superla