ii8 KLOOF AND KARROO. 



interchanged, draws the Boers considerably, by- 

 inquiring how their brethren in the Transvaal 

 are getting on against Sekukuni, Chief of the 

 Bapedi, who had lately defeated the Boer levies 

 sent against him. This is evidently a tender 

 point, and not at all appreciated, especially as 

 our Kaffirs snigger considerably when this topic 

 is introduced. They, too, have, by some mysterious 

 telegraphy, known only to the tribes, heard of 

 Sekukuni's successes in his distant mountains, and 

 there is no love lost between Boer and Kaffir, chiefly 

 owing to the bad treatment invariably practised by 

 the former to the latter. 



But time is getting on and it is four o'clock, and 

 at half-past five we have an athletic event coming off", 

 which has aroused all the sporting instincts of the 

 immediate district. Not far from us is a Kaffir 

 kraal, and amongst its inhabitants one young man, 

 Segani, is renowned for his running powers. One 

 of our own party, recently arrived in the Colony, has 

 also acquired a reputation in England as an athlete, 

 and for the last few years has been, amongst 

 amateurs, at the top of the tree at distance-running, 

 more especially from half-a-mile to two miles. The 

 question arose whether the hardy Kaffir, inured to 

 mountain exercise and capable of running immense 

 distances, would be a match for the young English- 

 man, who had proved himself able to run a mile in 

 four minutes twenty-eight seconds at Lillie Bridge, 

 and had gained many a prize on running path and 

 green sward. The Kaffirs were decidedly of opinion 

 that their champion could not be defeated, while our 

 party were equally confident of success. 



Thus a friendly match was made for a race of 



