272 TRAVELS IN 
inftantly fet oft* on full gallop, and in a moment found our- 
felves in the middle of the kraal. Day was but juft beginning 
to break ; and by the faint light I could difcover only a few 
ftraw-mats, bent each between two fticks, into a femicircular 
form ; but our ears were ftunned with a horrid fcream like the 
war-hoop of favages ; the fhrieking of women and the cries of 
children proceeded from every fide. I rode up with the com- 
mandant and another farmer, both of whom fired upon the 
kraal. I immediately exprelTed to the former my very great 
furprife that he, of all others, fliould have been the firft to 
break a condition which he had folemnly promifed to obferve, 
and that I had expeded from him a very different kind of con- 
duit. " Good God !" he exclaimed, " have you not feen a 
" fliower of arrows falling among us ?" I certainly had feen 
neither arrows nor people, but had heard enough to pierce the 
hardeft heart ; and I peremptorily infifted that neither he nor 
any of his party fhould fire another fhot. In juftificatlon of 
their condud; they began to fearch on the ground for the 
arrows, a fearch in which they were encouraged to continue, 
in order to give the poor wretches a little time to fcramble 
away among the detached fragments of rocks and the fhrub- 
bery that ftood on the fide of the heights. On their promifes 
I could place no fort of dependance, knowing that, like true 
fportfraen when game was fprung, they could not withhold 
their fire. Of this I was prefently convinced by the report of 
a mufquet on the oppofite fide of the hill ; and, on riding 
round the point, I perceived a Bosjefman lying dead upon the 
ground. It appeared that as one of our party, who could fpeak 
their language, was endeavouring to prevail upon the favages 
to 
