“_January 5th._--Hot day, and though there was a good deal of wind I felt the heat. Gave Macloule a cotton blanket. Myers and Hendrik working at my waggon sail. Took Hans, and went to king’s. Dance going on, consisting of the men of two large kraals, forming a circle, ‘marking time,’ and waving sticks, whilst the king, with rhinoceros-horn knob-kerry, acted as bandmaster. There was also singing. Nina[28] requested me to stand up and join, which I did. Every now and then a man rushes out into the space in the middle, shaking his shield and brandishing his assegai, enacts his fighting, and shows how many he has killed, whilst loud shouts are raised on all sides. The usual dress consists of a head-dress of black feathers, and a bunch of monkeys’ tails round the loins, with white frills of ox-tails on the arms, and (in the case of veterans I suppose) a long solitary feather to top all, and a piece of fur round the head. The king had on a broad-brimmed black felt hat, a huge bunch of monkeys’ skins round his middle, and carried an Elcho sword bayonet (my present) and a rhinoceros-horn knob-kerry. When the dancing and singing was over, the men defiled past the king in companies, singing a monotonous but not unmusical chorus, which they accompanied by rapping their shields with their sticks, producing a dull heavy sound. Strings of girls bore huge calabashes of beer, under the weight of which some of them staggered, to the kraal. For the most part they were magnificent specimens of shapely young Kafir women. A tall handsome girl, who has been sometimes begging at my waggon, was a looker-on, and presented a fine picture of a well-developed savage woman. She seemed fully aware of her own striking appearance. A lot of old Mosilikatze’s wives sat watching. “There is a good deal of wind to-night, and the moon is obscured by dark gathering clouds. To-night, after I left the king, I was standing beside a group of Kafirs cutting up the carcasses of two oxen just killed, when the king’s dogs made a set at me. Afterwards the boys came to my waggon asking a tonso for calling them off. I suspect they set them on on purpose. “_January 6th._--Intensely hot, and though there are clouds, the rain still keeps off. Sent John with Wankee to cut a tree for a dissel-boom, and he says the axe was taken from him on the pretext that they must not cut wood now, and that the axe would be returned.... I asked if I could go shooting, and they say no, not till the dance is over. “_January 7th._--Sky overcast, but the heat is still intense. Crowds of people about, as yesterday; difficult to keep the scherm clear. Dancing going on at the kraal. Heat insufferable. The tent was a furnace, but at sundown there was a little thunder, and it was pleasant and cool. A beautiful mild-looking rose-tinted sunset.