ARRIVAL AT COLESBERG. 301 



at the same moment, the rope which attached the boat 

 to the float parted. The unfortunate men were then 

 swept away down the rapid current ; and of twenty- 

 seven men who were on board of the punt, four only 

 escaped. Two of those who were drowned were Boers. 

 After this accident I directed ray men, who were in an 

 isolated position on the opposite side of the river, to in- 

 epan and remove down to NorVal's boat, below Alle- 

 man's Drift, where I met them with the cap-tent wag- 

 on ; and at sundown next day we had safely ferried 

 over the other two wagons, and encamped once more 

 on British territory. 



The ferrying was a very laborious proceeding, each 

 wagon having to be off-loaded, and then taken to pieces, 

 and so brought over, bit by bit ; the oxen and horses, 

 &c., swam the river. My wagons were now all safely 

 across; so, after loading them, we marched on the 18th, 

 about 10 A.M. At sundown we entered the town of 

 Colesberg, and drew up opposite to the old barracks, 

 having been absent exactly twelve months. 



As my wagons advanced into the town, the news of 

 our arrival spread like wildfire, and multitudes both of 

 men and good-looking young women rushed to see the 

 old elephant hunter, who had been mourned as dead. 

 We were soon surrounded by nearly one half of the 

 population, who mobbed-us until night setting in dis- 

 persed them to their homes. 



[My friend Mr. Orpen, being blessed by nature with 

 an excellent constitution, had considerably recovered 

 from the dreadful wounds which he received from the 

 leopard on the banks of the Limpopo, but was still, 1 

 regret to say, obliged to carry his arms in slings. His 

 father, the Rev. Dr. Orpen, of Colesberg, informed me 

 tl:/ ^"^ had great hope of resttiring his arins to their 



