Page:Seven Years in South Africa v1.djvu/268

CHAPTER VII.

FROM DUTOITSPAN TO MUSEMANYANA.

 

Preparation for second journey—Travelling-companions—Departure—A diamond—A lovely evening—Want of water—A conflagration—Hartebeests—An expensive draught—Gassibone’s kraal—An adventure with a cobra—A clamourous crowd—A smithy—The mission-station at Taung—Maruma—Thorny places—Cheap diamonds—Pelted by baboons—Reception at Musemanyana.

 

In the course of the six months that I now spent in Dutoitspan, I made acquaintance, amongst my patients, with three German families, all nearly related, who were of great assistance to me in my preparations for my second journey into the interior. It was, in fact, owing to the kindness of the head of one of these households that, after I had got together all but 120l. of the 900l. that the expenses of the expedition would require, I was enabled to procure on credit from one of the mercantile houses of Dutoitspan goods to the amount of 117l., for which I should otherwise have had to pay ready money; thus I was in a position to start four weeks before the time that I had originally contemplated.

My friend Eberwald, after trying his luck as a