IO TALES OF A NOMAD. 



At last we reached the neck and hurried through it, 

 keeping as much to the right as possible, with the double 

 object of avoiding the proximity of the native town on 

 the left, and also of keeping well in the shadow of the 

 range of hills on the right. Ten minutes took us through 

 the pass. There was evidently no Basuto town in the 

 pass, for we saw no lights and heard no barking of dogs. 



The valley now widened out again. Suddenly we 

 heard the barking of dogs apparently about half a mile 

 off on the left of the valley. 



"Ah, there is the town," said G . "I hope the 



dogs are not taking alarm." 



" No, no. The nasty yapping brutes keep it up all 

 night long." 



My horse's hoofs now ceased to sound as they struck 

 the earth, and I experienced a sensation as though he 

 were travelling over soft ground. An exclamation of 

 impatient annoyance broke from G . 



" What is the matter? " I asked. 



" Bad enough ; couldn't well be worse. We have got 

 on to newly-cultivated land. If they visit this land to 

 morrow morning they will be certain to see the hoof- 

 marks, and then we are done for. However, perhaps 

 they mayn't come over this ground to-morrow. In any 

 case we couldn't return to camp without having made 

 an attempt to carry out our orders, so all we can do is 

 to turn back and skirt this field in the hopes that they 

 may not be working here to-morrow." 



We wheeled our horses round, and having regained 

 the veldt went off at a tangent to avoid the cultivated 

 ground. When we judged that we must be past it we 

 resumed our direct course; but the incident left an un- 

 pleasant impression on my mind, and my spirits were 



