236 APPENDIX. 
use a homely expression, completely put to my shifts, for 
here were four people who had actually left my waggons 
for the purpose of plundering one of the most formidable 
chiefs in Southern Africa, and should they succeed, and re- 
turn on my waggon track, there could be little doubt as to 
what the consequences would be. Hendrik Klaas in some 
measure comforted me, by saying that Piet Barends would 
never be so foolish as to return on our track, as he had left 
his son, a boy of eight years old, with the waggon. His 
opinion was, that Barends would take quite a different route, 
and consequently the waggons would be in no danger of 
being overtaken by his pursuers. I felt myself, however, 
in a very unpleasant situation, and that my safest plan was 
to hasten homewards with as little delay as possible. 
After three days good riding on this side of the Maloppo, 
thinking ourselves out of reach of Masilikatsie, we rested at 
a beautiful vley, where there was abundance of fine grass 
and water, for the purpose of commencing fresh hostilities 
against the camelopards and rhinoceroses; and having 
heard nothing of Piet Barends and his band in all that 
time, we concluded that they must have been all murdered 
by Masilikatsie, which would have been their just deserts. 
As I now draw near to the catastrophe which was the 
result of this marauding expedition, I must be particu- 
lar in stating every circumstance as it happened. Jan 
Saver and my Griqua huntsman, Barend Barends, along 
with Hendrik Klaas, went out a hunting on the 17th 
November; the two latter returned in the afternoon without 
success, having lost Saver, who galloped off after a herd 
of quaggas, which they did not think it worth while to pur- 
sue. A little before sunset, I sent a Hottentot out on 
horseback in quest of him, as I was uneasy at his long 
stay; but the Hottentot returned without any tidings of 
