154 
AFRICAN HUNTING. 
Masau, a Coranna chief, and seven of his followers, 
all well mounted. He agreed to buy my wagon for 
twenty-five fat oxen, which I expect to be here to¬ 
morrow for inspection ; they drank any amount of 
coffee, and put in sugar ad libitum . I then gave 
them some oranges, and they carefully preserved the 
pips —old Masau claims one of my horses, which he 
says he lent a Dutchman to ride home to his farm 
four years ago, after buying his wagon; all his people 
swear to the horse and to the cropping of his ears, so 
I fear I must give him up, as I have no doubt he is 
their horse, for no white man would cut a horse’s 
ears off to bleed him; but I don’t see who is to re¬ 
compense me for my loss, for I bought and paid for 
him. 
The reader will perhaps excuse my giving here an 
account of a night I once passed on the open veldt 
on the Feight Kop road between the Yaal river and 
Harrysmith, on returning to Natal from Mooi Eiver 
Dorp. 
The wagons had been quietly treking along over an 
immense open country without wood for nine days, 
when one beautiful afternoon I mounted Adrian to 
shoot a wildebeest, Hopeful, a splendid stag-hound, 
accompanying me. As far as the eye could reach, 
the road apparently ran straight, and I took to the 
right, knowing I must come back to hit the road 
again, when we could see at once by the spoor 
whether or not our wagons had passed, and follow 
on or go back accordingly. 
