by the steep bank of the creek and walled in on the 

 other side by the precipitous kranses of the mountains. 

 At the top end it opened out like a fan which died 

 away in a frayed edge in the numberless small kloofs 

 and spurs fringing the amphitheatre of the hills. The 

 shape was in fact something like the human arm and 

 hand with the fingers outspread. The elbow was the 

 poort, the arm trie terrace except that the terrace 

 was irregularly curved and the fingers the small kloofs 

 in the mountains. No doubt the haunts of the buffalo 

 were away in the ' fingers,' and we worked steadily 

 along the spoor in that direction. 



Game paths were numerous and very irregular, and 

 the place was a perfect jungle of trees, bush, bramble 

 and the tallest rankest grass. I have ridden in that 

 valley many times since then through grass standing 

 several feet above my head. It was desperately hard 

 work, but we did want to get the buffalo ; and 

 although the place was full of game and we put up 

 koodoo, wildebeeste, rietbuck, bushbuck, and duiker, 

 we held to the wounded buffalo's spoor, neglecting all 

 else. 



Just before ascending the terrace we had heard the 

 curious far-travelling sound of kaffirs calling to each 

 other from a distance, but, except for a passing com- 

 ment, paid no heed to it and passed on ; later we heard it 

 again and again, and at last, when we happened to pause 

 in a more open portion of the bush after we had gone 

 half way along the terrace, the calling became so 

 ''s frequent and came from so manyquarters thatwe 

 -, stopped to take note. Francis,whospokeZululike 



288 



