THE BUSHMAN AS AN ENEMY. 277 



thirty miles distant. Pursuit is often impossible, because 

 every horse is generally taken. Should they be pursued, 

 and see no chance of keeping the cattle, they will then 

 either hamstring them or stick a poisoned arrow into them, 

 and thus prevent the farmer from taking advantage of his 

 speedy pursuit. The Bushman himself being very light, 

 and always having a good horse, easily gets away. If by 

 chance his horse is shot, and he reduced to his own legs, 

 he scrambles like a baboon up the rocks if any are near ; 

 if not, he seeks cover behind an ant-hill, or in a wolf-hole, 

 and prepares his poisoned arrows for defence. Armed 

 with a quiver full, with five on each side of his head for 

 immediate use, he cannot be approached with impunity, 

 for at eighty yards the Bushman can strike a buck while 

 running. Should a man be wounded, then 



" Where it draws blood, no cataplasm so rare, 

 Collected from all simples that have virtue 

 Under the moon, can save the thing from death." 



These ten arrows can be delivered in about twice as 

 many seconds ; one would assume the appearance therefore 

 of a fretful porcupine, should he venture near these 

 venomous wretches. Forbearance is by the savage, 

 frequently mistaken for fear, and dog-like he then seeks 

 to worry. Lest such should be the case with these men, I 

 sent a bullet a few yards over their heads, and its music was 

 the first intimation they had that their council of two was 

 interrupted. They stayed not to complain, but lying 

 flat on their horses' necks, which thus appeared riderless, 

 dashed away into the blue distance. My Kaffir seemed 



