362 
AFRICAN HUNTING. 
was gone, but luckily they were very hungry, so I 
recovered them all on the outskirts of the town, 
feeding. I got them in again with help, fetched my 
blanket and saddle and watched them all night, not 
being able to find Claas. In the morning that 
worthy appeared, and I sent him out with the horses 
to feed, and lent him a good mare, that he might be 
able to turn them if they got their heads towards 
home, and ran away. 
In a couple of hours I went to look for him and 
them, and found the latter scattered about, and the 
fellow off with my mare, saddle, and bridle. In 
this dilemma I gave them all in the charge of the 
master of the skit kraal (the pound), who was answer- 
able, and went to the Field Cornet, and we saddled up 
and went in pursuit. In case of capture, I was to 
take the law into my own hands, tie him up and 
thrash him till I was perfectly satisfied, or could not 
hit another blow, after which he was to be dealt 
with in any manner the Landrost thought fit; but I 
knew the wily rascal was not going to be caught, 
and I have never heard tidings of him from that day 
to this. 
I then started with a big lump of a Maccateese, 
who rode so badly and fell off so often, that I had 
to do all the driving myself; he, however, watched 
them three nights till we got down to Sand River, 
when they broke out of a kraal and I lost them for 
three days. I found them among the Yittebergen 
