The Inhabitants Of The Last Of Kaonka's Villages
Complained Of Being Plundered By The Independent Batoka.
The Tribes In Front Of This Are Regarded By The Makololo
As In A State Of Rebellion.
I promised to speak to the rebels on the subject,
and enjoined on Kaonka the duty of giving them no offense.
According to
Sekeletu's order, Kaonka gave us the tribute of maize-corn and ground-nuts,
which would otherwise have gone to Linyanti. This had been done
at every village, and we thereby saved the people the trouble of a journey
to the capital. My own Batoka had brought away such loads of provisions
from their homes that we were in no want of food.
After leaving Kaonka we traveled over an uninhabited, gently undulating,
and most beautiful district, the border territory between
those who accept and those who reject the sway of the Makololo.
The face of the country appears as if in long waves, running north and south.
There are no rivers, though water stands in pools in the hollows.
We were now come into the country which my people all magnify
as a perfect paradise. Sebituane was driven from it by the Matebele.
It suited him exactly for cattle, corn, and health. The soil is dry,
and often a reddish sand; there are few trees, but fine large shady ones
stand dotted here and there over the country where towns formerly stood.
One of the fig family I measured, and found to be forty feet in circumference;
the heart had been burned out, and some one had made a lodging in it,
for we saw the remains of a bed and a fire. The sight of the open country,
with the increased altitude we were attaining, was most refreshing
to the spirits. Large game abound. We see in the distance buffaloes, elands,
hartebeest, gnus, and elephants, all very tame, as no one disturbs them.
Lions, which always accompany other large animals, roared about us,
but, as it was moonlight, there was no danger. In the evening,
while standing on a mass of granite, one began to roar at me,
though it was still light. The temperature was pleasant, as the rains,
though not universal, had fallen in many places. It was very cloudy,
preventing observations. The temperature at 6 A.M. was 70 Deg.,
at midday 90 Deg., in the evening 84 Deg. This is very pleasant
on the high lands, with but little moisture in the air.
The different rocks to the westward of Kaonka's, talcose gneiss
and white mica schist, generally dip toward the west, but at Kaonka's,
large rounded masses of granite, containing black mica, began to appear.
The outer rind of it inclines to peel off, and large crystals project
on the exposed surface.
In passing through some parts where a good shower of rain has fallen,
the stridulous piercing notes of the cicadae are perfectly deafening;
a drab-colored cricket joins the chorus with a sharp sound,
which has as little modulation as the drone of a Scottish bagpipe.
I could not conceive how so small a thing could raise such a sound; it seemed
to make the ground over it thrill.
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