PURCHASES. 75 



doubtful event. I engaged a discharged soldier of the 

 91st, named George Martin, in the capacity of ^head 

 servant. This man hailed frcrn Haddington, and bore 

 an excellent character on leaving the regiment. He 

 was accustomed to the charge of horses, in which he 

 took a great interest. My most important purcliases 

 in the sporting department consisted of a valuable dou- 

 ble-barreled rifle, with spare shot-barrels by Westley 

 Richards, which I obtained from Captain Hogg, and 

 two right good steeds, one of which was a very superior 

 coal-black gelding, which I purchased of Captain Wal- 

 pole, of the Engineers, for d£20, which was considerably 

 below its value. I named this horse Black Jack ; in 

 paces and disposition he very much resembled my la- 

 mented Colesberg, and he was altogether one of the 

 finest horses I ever mounted. His end was sudden and 

 severe ; for on a subsequent expedition, along with an- 

 other of ray favorite horses, he was torn to pieces and 

 consumed by a troop of ruthless lions. The other horse 

 which I purchased was a gray; and as it is probable 

 that this horse may be introduced in future pages, un- 

 der the designation of the "Old Gray," I trust the read- 

 er will rwit be confounded with the idea of the resur- 

 rection of the original "Old Gray." 



On the morning of the 9th I reached Fort Beaufort, 

 when I encamped at the mess-house of the 7th. I con- 

 tinued there until the morning of the loth, when I re- 

 sumed my march for the interior. In Fort Beaufort 1 

 purcliased four right good horses from the officers of the 

 garrison : one of these was a jet black steed, and was 

 named by his late master Schwartland. This horse 

 was one of the finest shooting-horses in Southern Af- 

 rica, and understood his work so well that he seemed 

 to follow the game with all the eagerness of a grey- 



