CHAP. XY. 
THE BEEKA MOUTH. 
119 
vidette’s duty, commenced circling to the right, direct¬ 
ing my orderly to follow me in the circle. By this 
time the Governor and escort made their appearance 
through the bush-path; and Colonel Cloete, seeing me, 
exclaimed, 4 Look, look! there is a Kafir chasing 
Bisset.’ But the old General said, 4 No, Cloete, he is 
circling to the right; the enemy is in front,’ and at 
once came tearing down to me. I reported what had 
happened, and added that if we galloped hard we 
should overtake the enemy before they rounded the 
mouth of the next or Beeka River. This river is the 
largest of all the rivers between the Fish and Keiskama; 
and moreover, from where the Kafirs would strike the 
bank of it, at the commencement of the bush, there is 
a long stretch of narrow beach, between the water, 
which is deep, and the sandhills, which are covered 
with thick bush. This narrow beach varies from fifty 
to twenty yards in width, and is about a mile in 
length, before reaching the mouth of the river, where 
alone the water is fordable. 
I was very well mounted on an old favourite horse 
called Rattler, and rode forward with about half of the 
fastest of the escort-horses. We were about 100 yards 
ahead of the Governor and the rest of the party; and 
as we dropped down the bank of the river on to the 
narrow beach, where the direction turned suddenly to 
the right, we saw the Kafirs, about fifty in number, two 
