Damara Helpmates.—Marriage Tie.—Caravan to Ovampo-land.—Yearly Traffic.—Otchikoto.—Improvised Chaunts.—Reach an Ovampo Cattle-post.—Archery Practice.—The Parent Tree.—We reach Ondonga.—Corn, Beans, and Palms.—Fruit-trees.—Native Beer.—Density of the Population.—Encamp by Nangoro’s Village.—Cannot obtain Pasturage.—Nangoro pays us a Visit.—Ovampo Belles.—We go to a Ball.—Description of Dances.—Charms and Counter-charms.—Nangoro’s Palace.—The Great River.—Prospects.—The King is crowned.—His lawful Successors.—The Queens’ Duties.—Ovampo Dentists.—Surgical Practice. _May 22nd._—The Ovampo and ourselves were all in readiness, and we travelled for a couple of hours to a place of general rendezvous. I was very curious to see what our caravans would consist of, as it would give an accurate idea of the amount of trade and communication that goes on northwards from Damara-land. There are four of these caravans yearly,—two to Chapupa’s werft, and two that travel between those Ovampo and Damaras that severally live near the sea. Kahikenè had told me of these last; and I have since heard much fuller particulars about them. We had fifteen ride and pack-oxen, eight slaughter; two cows, one calf, thirty sheep, and three goats. Goats are very useful to furnish leather, in case anything should be torn, or bags have to be made; they do not, however, travel quite so well as sheep. We encamped as usual at night, letting the oxen graze about us, not dreaming of any accident, when a Damara, who was going through the trees, luckily came upon a lion, who was crouching at one of my ride-oxen, almost within springing distance. The lion, of course, decamped, as lions always do when they are discovered at their wicked practices; and we had the satisfaction of hearing him roar hungrily throughout the night. The cry of a lion as he walks about, when he is baulked of sport, is plaintive, and not unmusical; but I never hear them utter it in the menageries in England. It was quite a new sound to me when I first listened to it; and I should never then have guessed it had come from a lion unless I had been told so. Another very peculiar cry is that of the zebra; at a distance it sounds more like the roo-coo-cooing of a dove than anything else. We cut bushes and kraaled in the oxen during the dark; and as I had now only a small drove with me, and plenty of Damaras, I came to a resolution to make a kraal every night for the oxen, and so relieve myself of all anxiety about them. I had found it such a luxury both at Schmelen’s Hope and Okamabuti, to have kraals to drive the cattle safe into at night-fall, for, dismissing from our minds all care about them, we could then sleep undisturbed throughout the night. The men of my party were, besides myself and Andersson, John Allen, John St. Helena, and Timboo. I had five picked Damaras with four wives. The women are very useful, for they carry the men’s things,