47 
exceedingly kind, and offered to assist me in any way he 
could to obtain bearers, &c. He got a Caffre to go on 
in advance, and let the different kraals know we were 
coming and wanted men; gave us some butter and 
honey, and, with his wife, made us welcome. Dubois 
and Woodroffe returned in the evening with our letters, 
but McLachlan too busy to help us, and had no Oaffres to 
spare to lend us as guides, &c. Spent a pleasant evening 
in reading our letters from home. The next day we 
continued our preparations by packing up loads for 
Caffres' heads, and who should turn up again, soon after 
dark, but our friend Sara, who, being determined to go 
with us, having taken a fancy to E., ran away again to 
our camp. We gave her some food and allowed her to 
sleep there for that night, but told her she must be off 
before morning, and not be about our camp by day, as we 
were afraid of getting into trouble with the Dutchman, 
for abetting his handmaids in running away. In the 
morning she went off, and laid herself up in the rushes 
by the river all day, and reappeared again in the evening ; 
this was repeated till we were three or four days beyond 
Leydenburg, and out of the reach of her master. 
June 22nd, Sunday. An ox which had just managed 
to struggle on to Leydenburg, got into the river, and, 
unable to help himself, we had to drag him out, but he 
was thoroughly chilled, and died the next morning. Sent 
off some letters to England, but the postal arrangements 
are said to be most uncertain in these parts. We hope 
the cart will be done to-morrow, and so enable us to start 
again, as the season is rapidly drawing on. Next morning, 
on getting up to breakfast, we found the four Caffres who 
came to us at Greytown had bolted in the night, and 
I had no time to go after them, as they were probably 
many miles on the road back to Natal before daylight ; 
unfortunately I had paid them their wages a few days 
