The Scenery Was Most Interesting, With
Every Variety Of Hill, Roll, Plateau, And Ravine, Wild And
Prettily Wooded; But We Saw Nothing Of The People.
Like
frightened rats, as soon as they caught the sound of our
advancing march, they buried themselves in the jungles, carrying
off their grain with them.
Foraging parties, of necessity, were
sent out as soon as the camp was pitched, with cloth for
purchases, and strict orders not to use force; the upshot of
which was, that my people got nothing but a few arrows fired at
them by the lurking villagers, and I was abused for my
squeamishness. Moreover, the villagers, emboldened by my lenity,
vauntingly declared they would attack the camp by night, as they
could only recognise in us such men as plunder their houses and
steal their children. This caused a certain amount of alarm
among my men, which induced them to run up a stiff bush-fence
round the camp, and kept them talking all night.
This morning we marched on as usual, with one of the Hottentots
lashed on a donkey; for the wretched creature, after lying in the
sun asleep, became so sickly that he could not move or do
anything for himself, and nobody would do anything for him. The
march was a long one, but under ordinary circumstances would have
been very interesting, for we passed an immense lagoon, where
hippopotami were snorting as if they invited an attack. In the
larger tree-jungles the traces of elephants, buffaloes,
rhinoceros, and antelopes were very numerous; while a rich
variety of small birds, as often happened, made me wish I had
come on a shooting rather than on a long exploring expedition.
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