THE LEGEND OF JAN PRINSLOO'S KLOOF. 381 



rocks, fastening the gate behind him, and there: 

 determined to make a last desperate stand for it. 



"The Hottentots soon forced the gate and swarmed 

 over the walls, not however before one was killed by 

 Prinsloo's great elephant 'roer.' Round the kraal 

 they chased him, giving him no time to load again ; 

 at last, as you know, he fell and was slain, and the 

 Hottentots cut off his head, and arms, and legs, and 

 tore out his black heart, and in their mad, murderous 

 joy and fury, smeared themselves in his blood. Then 

 the men looted the house, set fire to what they 

 could, and afterwards rejoined their comrades next 

 morning. They told my father, who had known 

 Prinsloo, the whole story when they got back. 

 These six men were all killed in a fight soon after- 

 wards when the insurrection was put down ; and 

 the Kaffirs and Hottentots were severely punished. 



" Well, ever since that night the thing happens- 

 once a year upon the same night. Many Boers 

 have tried to live in this place since that time, but 

 have always left in a hurry after a few week's trial. 

 I believe one man did stay for nearly two years ; but 

 he was deaf, and knew nothing of what was going 

 on around, until one Prinsloo's night ; when he saw 

 something that quickly made him trek. I once saw 

 the scene we witnessed last night ; it was many years 

 ago, when I was a young man in the service of a 

 Boer, who. had just come here ; (before then I had 

 been with my father in the service of another Boer, 

 forty miles away towards Sunday River). Next 

 morning after seeing Prinsloo and his murderers, my 

 master trekked out terror stricken. I never thought 

 to have seen the horrible thing again, but eight 

 months ago when the Van der Meulens came here, I 



