“The women crowded round to sell. They were many of them recently smeared on their heads with something black like pitch, babies and all. Many of the girls have the hair matted thickly together in lumps. One hanging over the forehead, the end of the lock having brass rings fastened to it, droops down to the nose, and one to each ear. The hair is all drawn out in matted locks. A profusion of brass rings are worn on the arms, and heavy bead necklaces round the neck. Many of them are pretty. There are distinctly perceptible the dark and the light skinned; some nearly black, some copper-coloured. The men are much given to wearing carved charms and other ornaments and curiosities. A lion’s claw or a vulture’s beak are favourites amongst the latter division. They wear skins--karosses with the hair worn inside. John says there are both Masahras (Bushmen) and Makalakas here. I was surprised to hear from him that there are many Bushmen living in kraals and not wandering in the bush, as I had an idea they were exclusively a gipsy race, but it appears by no means so universally. The induna is an old Makalaka, who does not talk the Matabele language, but as it was not till the day after our arrival that I saw him, I will leave him for the present. “Presently an individual arrived in white men’s clothes, who spoke a little Dutch. Without ceremony he jumped up on my waggon-box, and I concluded he was the induna from his free and easy style. I begged him to excuse me, as I was very busy buying corn, after he had asked John a question or two, as, ‘Was I going to the Zambesi?’ I never thought I was to be stopped, and went on buying corn, and he seemed glad to let me do so, till at last he came to his final interview--for much of the time he had been with Van Roozen. He then told me that the king had sent to stop all waggons from coming on, on account of the sickness, but the induna himself would be here the following morning. My feelings this evening were ones of intense disappointment, but still I hoped something from my interview with the induna the next day.