2 
SPORT AND WAR. 
CHAP. I. 
to give assistance where they could. The patrol con¬ 
sisted of about twenty civilians, of which I was one. 
We proceeded first to the Kereiga Kiver; and on 
reaching Bothas Farm we saw the Dutch mothers 
snatching up their children and running in all direc¬ 
tions. This was occasioned by some native leaders and 
drivers of wagons having run home from the 4 Cowie 
Bush,’ a distance of six or seven miles, reporting that 
their masters were attacked and surrounded by Kafirs. 
They had left the farm that morning with two ox- 
wagons to fetch 4 thatch ’ (rushes), and while re¬ 
turning from the Cowie Kiver were attacked by the 
Kafirs. The native servants fled, and the three Dutch¬ 
men were surrounded and left to fight it out; two 
only of them had guns. They retired, but when out 
of the main bush had to take 4 cover ’ in a small round 
clump of bush in the open. This small bush was sur¬ 
rounded by the Kafirs, who were afraid to enter, but 
kept throwing their 4 assaigais ’ (or spears) into it. 
The Dutchmen loaded and fired as rapidly as they 
could, and we could hear this firing at a great dis¬ 
tance, and raced as fast as our horses could carry us 
to their assistance. On our approach the Kafirs fled 
into the forest, and we found two of the Dutchmen in 
a most exhausted and deplorable condition—one had 
nineteen and the other twenty-three wounds; and, 
strange to say, the man without the gun was untouched. 
