384 
KEYSER'S DESERTION. 
M July, 
the natives were going to murder us ; and with agitated voice, asking 
why we did not begin to defend ourselves and fire upon them. 
Speelman, whatever might have been his own fears at that moment, 
had not, most fortunately for all, so far lost his reason as to listen 
to Keyser's recommendation ; but, disregarding our terrified fellow- 
traveller, left him in that situation and took his station as near to 
me as the closeness of the crowd would allow him. In the mean- 
time, the Hottentot, watching for a moment when the attention of 
all the natives was directed towards the circle where their Chief was 
sitting, slipped away unperceived, at least by any of my own people ; 
and, as fast as he could run, fled into the country under an impression 
that he had just escaped from death. When he came up to Stuurman 
and Andries, who were tending the cattle and horses, his mind was 
so utterly confused, that he fired off his musket, threw down his 
cartridge-box, and, with the vehemence of a madman, tore his hat 
from his head and dashed it on the ground, crying out to them to 
beat him, for he could not speak, he could not say what had happened. 
At length, he told them, that he was the only one remaining alive 
out of all the party ; the rest were all murdered : he had himself seen 
the natives run me through the body with their hassagays ; and to 
conclude, advised them to fly for their lives and make the best of 
their way back to Klaarwater. After this declaration, the truth of 
which, his great terror and agitation seemed to confirm, they all three 
instantly mounted the horses, and, leaving the oxen and sheep to 
their fate, rode ofi" at full speed, till they had nearly reached our last 
station at Lobutsani. There they passed the night, without fire, for 
they were afraid of being discovered and murdered ; and without 
food. In the morning, the other two were induced, by some incon- 
sistency which they discovered in Keyser's story, to suspect that 
affairs had not proceeded to that extremity which his account had 
at first led them to believe. They had suffered much from cold 
during the night, and now began to feel the pains of hunger : they 
perceived, too, on reflection, that by separating themselves from me 
and the waggons, they were both defenceless and helpless, and were 
in the greatest danger of being cut off, in their way back, should they 
persist in retreating from us. So that on a cooler view of their case, 
