TAKE THE FIELD AGAIN. 
279 
the whole, very unwell; in a great measure, through 
my own fault. I was excited in the chase of a 
broken-legged leche ram, which I struck at an incre¬ 
dible distance; he instantly took the water, and I 
swam five rivers in pursuit, having on a pair of goat¬ 
skin trousers, which struck me icy cold after the old 
ram was bagged, and I rode all day in them looking 
for the wagon, which I eventually found in a pit-fall, 
having fallen into one when going through some 
water; they had to offload everything, but eventually 
righted without any mischance. The Cape wagons 
are wonderfully suited to the country, and will bear 
any amount of knocking about, and the oxen’s gear 
is so simple that we can, at any time or place, repair 
all damages. 
I suffered very severely for my rashness. I just got 
to the wagon and beneath the blankets in time to 
lessen the severity of the attack, but I felt certain 
that if I had not found the wagon and had had to 
bivouac in the open, I could not possibly have got 
through the night, but must have died, there being 
no wood to make a fire, and a cold, cutting, windy 
night. I bought a goat, but it goes no way among 
ten hungry Kaffirs. I have, however, paid off two, 
as I found my establishment too expensive, and the 
more rascals I have the less work I get out of them. 
Yesterday I succeeded in killing two fine, very fat 
cow giraffes, each with a single bullet, after a very 
long, hard chase, in which, for three-fourths of the 
way, I had only dust to guide me through thick 
