440 A HUNTER'S WANDERINGS ch. 



search for poor French's remains. He, however, 

 replied that, according to the time it took Boy to 

 reach the river after leaving his body, he must have 

 died so far away from the river, that they would 

 have to carry water and sleep in the bush, and search 

 tor the body on the second day ; and that, as they 

 had not many of them got calabashes, this, in the 

 present state of the weather, would be impossible. 

 He added, too, that as the whole country was covered 

 with dense forests, and Boy did not in the least know 

 the direction in which the remains lay, it was almost 

 useless searching for them. I knew that what he 

 said was just, yet still, had I been well enough, I 

 would have searched the country for several days 

 to the best of my ability. As it was, the headman 

 promised that as soon as the rains fell he would send 

 all his people out in search of my friend's remains, 

 and I promised a large reward should they ever be 

 brought, with the watch and compass that were on 

 his person when he died, either to myself or to Mr. 

 Westbeech at Pandamatenka. Up to the end of last 

 year no discovery had been made. Thus died poor 

 French, adding one more to the long list ot English- 

 men whose unburied bones lie bleaching in the 

 wilderness far from their native land. He was as 

 fine and manly a fellow as ever stepped, but terribly 

 obstinate when he took anything into his head, and 

 it is to this unfortunate trait in his character that I 

 feel sure the loss of his life is due, for had he listened 

 to the Kafir's advice anci struck for the river the first 

 night, he would be alive now ; as Boy said to me, 

 " Had it been any other white man but my master, 

 he would have taken my advice and gone to the 

 river, whose course we knew well, instead of trying 

 to find his way to a single point in the bush." 



