The Shadow of the Great Thirst 



Modder, 8th January 1912, and runs as 

 follows : 



" On Thursday, the 28th of December, Private 

 Blank arrived at Zwart Modder from Nakob 

 to report, by a curious coincidence, the finding 

 of the body of a native woman, who had died 

 from thirst between Nakob and Zwart Modder. 

 On the evening of Sunday the 31st, Private 

 Blank left to return to his station, riding his 

 troop horse and leading another which the store- 

 keeper was sending to a friend at Nakob. He 

 slept that night at a cattle post about four miles 

 from Zwart Modder and this was the last place 

 at which he was seen alive. At daybreak on 

 Monday, the 1st of January, he left the cattle 

 post and cut across the veld to the Nakob 

 road, and from this point the story is carried 

 on by the evidence of the spoor. As soon as 

 Private Blank reached the road he dismounted, 

 for some reason or other, and whilst dismounted 

 the led horse took fright. He endeavoured to 

 hold it by the stirrup leather, which came off 

 in his hand. This horse then galloped away 

 in the direction of his usual grazing-ground, 

 dragging the reins, which later on became 

 entangled in some bushes. Meanwhile, Private 



51 



