CROSSING THE TUGELA 
359 
lie had previously declared he could not swim a 
yard, he struck out, Kaffir fashion, as well as any of 
us. The oxen got partly right, and we all got over 
eventually, one ox only being drowned. I lost 
everything that was in the cart, except my two guns, 
which I had lashed very securely to the sides. 
There is great difficulty, at first, in getting these 
Overberg horses to face water, as they have never seen 
a river, and I was once nearly all day fighting with 
them at the Volga, and should never have succeeded had 
it not been for some Dutchmen with a large troop of 
oxen. I got the horses amongst them and got them 
down to the bank, when about five fine powerful 
fellows wielded their tremendous whips, with handles 
eighteen or twenty feet long, and lashes in propor¬ 
tion, with such a deafening crack, that the hair flew 
in a cloud from the back of any unfortunate animal 
they chanced to light on, with such terrible good will, 
force, and effect, that it seemed a scramble which 
could be in first, and so out of harm’s way. They all 
landed safely, and did not stop galloping till they got 
through Harry smith. 
I found the best way of driving was to have a 
big bagful of stones round my waist and pelt them, 
as many a loiterer will not let you get quite near 
enough to thong him, and, if you press them too 
hard, they run clear off It was very hard work 
for one man, and I knocked up three riding-horses. 
Another time, Claas, my after-rider, half Bushman 
half Griqua, the very smartest fellow and most 
