Before resuming his journey Frank Oates wrote home a few lines to his brother William, as follows:-- “BAMANGWATO, _May 4th, 1874_. “I wrote to Charley a few days ago, telling him I was just setting off for the Zambesi. As bad luck would have it, one of my hind wheels came to grief in jolting over that vile piece of road you must remember, about ten miles from here, and there I was, laid on my back. However, I put the wheel on a sledge of branches, and brought it with six oxen to be mended here, and once again am off. I am going to ride to the waggon to-night by moonlight, and hope to be at the Makalapsi River before the sun is very high.... “We have reckoned up about thirty waggons going Zambesi way this year; some are hunters, some traders, and some tourists. I expect most of them will stand at the same place, beyond Daka, and one must walk from there to the Falls. I suppose twelve white men at least will be at the Falls this year, so I shall not be alone, and one will be in the way of help in case of emergency arising, which is not likely. I am sparing no pains to get a good outfit. I have now twenty-six oxen, and am determined to be as well provided in every way as possible for the journey.” After writing the above Frank Oates rode out, as he intended, to his waggon, and by 3 A.M. on the 5th of May was once more upon the road. Again all went favourably for something like three hours after starting, and a further distance of five or six miles had been accomplished when, to the traveller’s unspeakable vexation, a fresh catastrophe of a like kind occurred, this time the tire of the same wheel breaking, and necessitating another halt. He now rode back into Bamangwato to see what could be done, the upshot of which was that he there bought two new waggons, and yet more oxen, so as to divide his load and lessen the risk of future accidents of this vexatious kind. He also secured the services of a Dutchman named Van Roozen, and his son, the former of whom would act as driver to one of the waggons, and make himself generally useful. Whilst still completing these arrangements he added a short supplementary letter to the last, from which the following are extracts:-- “_May 9th, 1874._