DAY WITH THE BTOFALOS. 363 
night before the last. Consequently, whilst 
demurring how we should next proceed in 
" trekking" this new" spoor" we descried our 
Hottentot riding towards us, as for his life, and 
waving his cap, not three times, as directed, 
but thirty times, in the most grotesque atti- 
tudes of excitement. 
"They have seen themp now then, up, after 
them, and away P With these exclamations, 
uttered in an under tone, my companion turned 
his horse's head ; and, ere we could see how or 
where to ride, he was far up the hill side, 
his horse panting and blowing as he fled. 
We soon followed in his wake, but had not pro- 
ceeded twenty yards, when, in turning a cor- 
ner, charge went horse and rider into the cen- 
tre of a u witte-doern" thorn bush. The spines 
on this were like lancets, but, bleeding though 
the horse was, he seemed to care as little for 
them as if they were of no account. He soon 
tore himself and his burden through it ; but, 
in doing so, he left my cap and part of my 
coat behind. This was a serious matter, for, 
as the heat of the day promised to be great, 
to go through it without any covering on the 
head was not to be thought of. This, there- 
fore, obliged a halt, and, consequently, I had to 
dismount. Eegaining and replacing, at length, 
the tattered remnants of the cap, I was trying 
