Seven Years in South Africa, Volume 2

Start southwards -- Vlakvarks -- An adventurer -- The Tamasanka pools -- The Libanani glade -- Animal life on the plateau -- The Maytengue -- An uneasy conscience -- Menon the Makalaka chief -- A spy -- Menon's administration of justice -- Pilfering propensities and dirtiness of the Makalakas -- Morula-trees -- A Matabele warrior -- An angry encounter -- Ruins on the Rocky Shasha -- Scenery on the Rhamakoban river -- A deserted gold-field -- History of the Matabele kingdom -- More ruins -- Lions on the Tati -- Westbeech and Lo Bengula -- The leopard in Pit Jacobs' house -- Journey continued.

Taking a south-easterly route, we drove on to Schneeman's Pan, where we halted for the rest of the day. Throughout the early morning, nothing could be more agreeable than the odour of the white cinque-foiled blossoms of the mopondo shrubs. In the evening we started off again, and travelled all night and some part of the next day until we came to the edge of the Gashuma Flat. Here we were obliged to pause for a time, because the recent rains had transformed the meadows into perfect swamps. The grass, known by the natives as matumbe, was in many places six or seven feet high, so that we did not see a great quantity of game. Whilst we were halting, we were overtaken by six Marutse who had hastened after us to bring some buffalo horns of mine that Westbeech had accidentally left behind at Sesheke, as well as an elephant's tusk weighing 25 lbs. They followed us as far as Panda ma Tenka, under the excuse that they wanted to get some lucifer-matches for Sepopo, but their real motive was to ascertain whether Kapella had joined our party.