“In the first place, I have here met waggons coming from the Zambesi, those of Wood and Selous, two Englishmen, who hunt and know the country well. They both advise me to go on at once. They say they would rather go on now than stand all the time, and then go on in April. In fact it seems that April is too early; and all agree that it is infinitely better to go now that the rains are falling than it is to go too soon after they have ceased to fall. They say the risk of fever is not so great as long as the rains fall, and the really bad time is when they have ceased to fall. The traders, however, must wait, in order to avoid the really bad time, as they could not go there and trade and come back again; whereas in my case I have only to spend a fortnight in getting to the standing-place where the waggons are left, and say ten days or a fortnight in going from there to the Falls and back (it _can_ be walked in three days, I am told, easily), whilst another fortnight will bring me back in the waggons. So you may say six weeks will do it all, and it would not only be possible to be back in Tati before the end of January, but this would allow a lot of extra time. It is only three weeks from Tati to Daka, the standing-place, and I am now a week’s journey on the way. “A man who knows the Falls and this road well has undertaken to conduct me to the Falls and back.[58] He is a coloured individual certainly, but appears a very intelligent and capable fellow. He has been hunting for Wood and Selous, and it is thought he will prove very efficient. He has insisted on large relays of medicine and food, and I have been able to get nearly everything I wanted here. There were in fact eight waggons in all here yesterday. The trader, who lost his finger when coming on with me before, with his two waggons, and a partner of his with one waggon, went on last night. Another trader is turning back now with Wood and Selous, who are going back; and another waggon, belonging to a party of Griquas, has gone on with the traders. “I expect to be back in Bamangwato in February, _en route_ for home.... I can scarcely fancy myself returning so soon from a successful visit to the Falls, having so often failed; but I think you will agree with me that I was not wrong in determining to make another attempt, as things turned out, and acting, as I am, on what I consider to be very competent advice. It is now the beginning of the rainy season, but very little rain has yet fallen; only a few heavy showers, with intervals of very hot weather between them.”