34 KAFFIR MARKSMEN. 



selves quietly sitting down to sinoke. In about an hour 

 the chief man gets up, stretches himself, as though much 

 fatigued and lazy, and quietly walks to the house of the 

 interpreter, giving him the usual salutation, and talking 

 at first on indifferent subjects. When the Kaffir con- 

 siders that there is a good opening, he broaches the matter 

 for which he came, but with an assumed air of indifference 

 and carelessness. When it has been fully discussed, he 

 quietly walks out and sits talking the whole matter over 

 with his councillors; all the black party then mount, and 

 dash off with the same reckless speed. 



The Kaffirs are most daring riders. They will ride 

 at full speed down the steepest and most dangerous hills. 

 It is true that they frequently get most fearful "purls" 

 but their neck-joints appear to be more firmly constructed 

 than ours. 



Some of the friendly Kaffirs who came in to see us 

 were very good shots. Kona, one of the chiefs, fired at a 

 quart bottle stuck up at a hundred yards, sending all 

 his bullets within a few inches, and at last knocked the 

 neck off. He sat down on the ground, and aimed by 

 resting his left hand on the ramrod, which he stuck in 

 the ground for a support; this sort of shooting would 

 be quite good enough to annoy troops in a thick bushy 

 country. 



I think that the next Kaffir war, which is now nearly 

 due, will be a very severe one, unless some individual out 

 there thinks of " burning the bush " that these black 

 fellows hide in ; a method that was suggested by some 

 wise head in England, who condemned the stupidity of 



