1 84 KLOOF AND KARROO. 



water. At length we reached the valley, only 

 to find our two poor foundered bullocks lying 

 nearly dead. The distant lowing of their refreshed 

 comrades had, I think, warned them of good 

 news, and the very smell of the water revived 

 them, and after two buckets apiece of the cold 

 draught had been gulped down their kiln-dried 

 throats, they got up, shook themselves, and rejoined 

 their fellows. 



" We rested for a short time, and then inspanned 

 and started for the upland pool. The oxen, worn 

 and enfeebled though they were, had such a heart 

 put into them by their drink, and seemed so well 

 to know that their watery salvation lay up there, 

 only a short mile distant, that they one and all bent 

 gallantly to the yokes, and dragged their heavy 

 burden to the margin of the bush-girt water. We 

 now outspanned for the night, made strong fires, for 

 the spoor of leopards was abundant, stewed some 

 bustards, ate a good supper, and turned in ; when 

 I say turned in, I should be more correct in saying 

 / turned into my waggon, and the men wrapped 

 themselves in their blankets or karosses, lay with their 

 toes almost into the fire, and snored in the most 

 varied and inharmonious chorus that ears ever 

 listened to. 



" I suppose we had not been asleep two hours, 

 when I was awakened by the sharp barks and 

 yelpings of my dogs, the kicks and scrambles of the 

 oxen, and the shouts of the men. Snatching up 

 my rifle and rushing out, I was just in time to see 

 a firebrand hurled at some dark object that sped 

 between the fires. 



" ' What is it, Klaas ? ' I shouted. 



