A RIDE FOR DEAR LIFE. 1 1 



overshadowed by anxious presentiments of coming evil. 

 We proceeded for about two miles in this manner, when 

 we saw a small round hillock looming up in the middle 

 of the plain. In another ten minutes we reached it. 

 At the foot was a small clump of bushes which we 

 entered, and having off-saddled and affixed the nosebags, 

 we tied up the horses, and ascending to the top of the 

 hillock, wrapped ourselves in our overcoats and lay down 

 to sleep, with the butts of our rifles as pillows. Youth, 

 health, and nerves make a good nightcap, and in those 

 days I could sleep sounder under conditions like this 

 than I can now in a feather bed. 



At break of day I was roused by G , who was 



pulling my leg. Rubbing my eyes, I looked round me. 

 Before us was spread a wide valley covered with scat- 

 tered clumps of bush. From the slopes of the hills on 

 both sides of the valley columns of smoke arose from 

 Basuto villages. On examining them with the field- 

 glasses I could see that they were all strongly fortified 

 with schanses (or breastworks of stone), and behind them 

 were precipices, or rugged masses of rock, in which, doubt- 

 less, were numerous caves in which the inhabitants of the 

 villages took refuge whenever they were driven from their 

 villages byan enemy. Each village contained several score 

 of huts with round conical-shaped roofs, which projected 

 above the walls of the schanses which encircled them. 



Far back behind us, and on the slope of the hill about 

 half a mile from the neck of the valley through which 

 we had passed on the previous evening, was a village of 

 about a hundred huts. From the hill just above the 

 neck itself was a cloud of smoke, showing that a picket 

 was posted there. We must have passed within 300 

 yards of them during the night. 



