1811. 
FORTUNATE REINFORCEMENT. 
435 
me also the advantage of avoiding the volley of arrows by which such 
enemies generally give the first notice of their presence, and which 
would have been aimed at the waggon, under the supposition that 
the people belonging to it, must be somewhere near it. 
But it was my better fortune to remain unmolested. Philip at 
last returned : but without water ; having found it impossible to get 
towards the river, on account of the hook-thorns which at every step 
caught hold of them, and had sadly torn both their clothes and their 
skin. We therefore laid ourselves down to rest, unable to satisfy 
either thirst or hunger. 
Towards the middle of the night, we heard the sound of wag- 
gons at a distance, as they passed over rocky places. Philip 
sprang up and made a signal of distress, by giving several loud claps 
with the whip ; which were heard, and answered in a similar manner. 
They soon approached us, and proved to be what we had expected, 
the two waggons which we had left behind with Lucas. They had 
also lost their way, and were glad at falling in with us ; for, having 
very little ammunition left, they were beginning to be uneasy at the 
prospect of remaining out in the plain all night without protection. 
Our party being now sufficiently strengthened by this reinforce- 
ment, we made a fire : while the Hottentots made another attempt 
to reach the river ; and in this they fortunately succeeded, by taking 
a different direction, so as to avoid the thorns. 
6th. As soon as daylight began to dawn, we resumed the 
journey, having previously held a short consultation to determine 
the course most likely to bring us to head-quarters. In less than 
two hours travelling, we arrived at our station on the Kygariep, 
where we found all well. 
On the preceding day, Mr. Jansz, in consequence of the invita- 
tion we had received from our Bushmen friends, crossed the river 
on a raft conducted by six Hottentot swimmers ; and, accompanied 
by a party of the Klaarwater men, rode on horseback, about a dozen 
miles to their kraal, where he was received in a very friendly 
manner. This little village he found pleasantly situated on the banks 
of the Maap, and containing nearly as many dwellings as Klaarwater, 
3 K 2 
