128 WAR: A SCOUTS' PATROL 



met four more mounted German troops coming 

 down, one posing as an officer, but doing it none 

 too well. When asked their business, they ex- 

 plained that they were going in from a back post 

 higher up to Grootfontein to surrender there in 

 accordance with their orders. This, of course, 

 from what we had just seen at Yangana, I knew 

 to be a lie, but it seemed safer to let them think 

 one was fooled. These three Germans and their 

 bogus officer had paid our camp a visit, I heard 

 on my return, and had told the same story. The 

 yarn itself was possible enough, but we all put 

 down the sham officer as probably a Dutch rebel. 

 He seemed to know his way about the bush too 

 well to be a German. 



Being anxious that none of these runaways 

 should get between us and our Rhodesian border 

 (not that we ever considered that they could 

 really do much actual damage anywhere, but 

 rather for fear that they might create an alarm 

 and cause our authorities a lot of unnecessary 

 worry and expense), we shifted as quickly as 

 possible across the Quito once more. We knew 

 then that, whichever way they came, we should 

 be in a position to head them off. I sent in two 

 runners straight away to Sepango to report what 

 had happened, but mentioned particularly that 

 there need be no alarm, and that I felt sure the 

 five of us could easily handle any party that 

 came up, though it might mean having to shoot 

 their camels and horses first ; that in any case I 



