later Mr. Thomas and John Moffat with their wives left; they were
speedily followed by Robert Moffat and Mr. Sykes. At Sechele's town the
two portions of this latter division were united, and thence they
journeyed onwards towards the Matabele. Disease broke out among some of
their oxen, and, on reaching the first outpost of Moselekatse's people,
a messenger was sent forward to the king explaining the state of
affairs, and proposing that the oxen of the missionaries should be left
in quarantine, and that Moselekatse should supply his own oxen to bring
the party to headquarters. This message was sent so as to avoid
connecting the advent of the Gospel among these people with that of a
pestilence among their herds of cattle; which would inevitably have
been the case had the diseased oxen proceeded onwards and infected those
belonging to the Matabele.

An answer was returned to the effect that the party were to proceed, and
that though the epidemic took effect, they should be held guiltless.

Moffat despatched a second messenger, to say that he had heard the
king's words, and in a couple of days would leave; but that he begged
the monarch to reflect on the consequences of the epidemic being
introduced among his tens of thousands of cattle, and to believe that
the mission party felt the most extreme anxiety upon the subject.

They then proceeded forward very slowly for two or three days, when they
were met by another messenger, who stated that Moselekatse was gratified
with the anxiety expressed for him and his; and that now, fully
convinced of his danger, he desired that all their oxen should return,
and that warriors were advancing to drag the mission waggons to
headquarters.

Every one started with surprise at the strange idea, but soon the
warriors came, shields, and spears, and all, also a number of oxen to be
slaughtered for food. After some war evolutions, the warriors took the
place of the draught oxen, and a start was made. There was many "a
strong pull, a long pull, and a pull all together," as the waggons
rolled onward; but after ten days' hard struggle and slow progress, it
became evident that the men sent were unequal to the task, and the
monarch, who for some unknown reason had kept his oxen back, sent them
at last to bring the waggons to his camp.

Moselekatse received his old friend with his usual cordiality; but it
soon became evident that something was wrong. All kinds of evasions and
delays met the req