316 EXPEDITION INTO [Chap. XXXV. 



During the night it rained a deluge, and about 2 

 P.M. on the 5th, Piet returned empty-handed for 

 ammunition, or rather for no reason at all, having 

 left the other two men upon the tracks, which, still 

 indicating a chase, led in the direction of some 

 distant hills. Owing to the hardness of the ground, 

 he had been unable to discover the cause of the 

 panic. 



In this posture of affairs, I determined to proceed 

 in person without another moment's delay, and 

 whilst mounting my horse, faithfully promised my 

 comrade not to show my face again until I had 

 recovered our cattle. Alas ! it was destined that 

 I should not , redeem my pledge. I had cantered 

 about eight miles, less than half way to the hills, 

 when Andries and Cobus were descried plying the 

 lash, and approaching at speed, with the dismal 

 intelligence that the oxen were in the hands of a 

 troop of Bushmen, occupying the summit of the 

 nearest hill, whence one of the pigmies, in broken 

 Dutch, had challenged the gallant equestrians to 

 do them battle. Cobus, who the morning before, 

 when he dreamt not of the real state of the case, 

 had ridden forth gasconading of his prowess in 

 arms, now repeated several times emphatically that 

 the contemptible spokesman had actually defied him 

 in terms derogating from his valour. "Here," said 

 he, " Here stand your oxen ; come up if you're a 

 man ! Take them, ye poltroons, if ye dare ! " Yet 

 although mounted, and abundantly supplied with 

 munition, these hulking white-livered villains did 



