CHAP. XVII. 
THE BOOMAH PASS. 
135 
there were no more cavalry, and I passed on with my 
single orderly to the ledge down which I had to scramble 
before entering the pass. As I reached the ledge my 
orderly exclaimed to me from behind, 6 Myn Grot, myn¬ 
heer, moet niet en gaan ! ’ (‘ Do not go in ’). And I 
must admit that at this moment I felt my life was 
in the greatest jeopardy, for I saw thousands of Kafirs 
running down the tongue of land on the opposite side 
of the river to head the troops. But I felt that my 
honour was at stake; that having been sent it was my 
duty to enter, even though feeling that I must be shot. 
I remember pressing my forage-cap down on to my 
head, setting my teeth together, bringing my double- 
barrelled gun to the advance, and pushing my horse 
down the defile. At this moment three or four of the 
ammunition pack-horses dashed past me at full speed, 
bleeding from wounds, and with the pack-saddles turned 
and under their bellies. They nearly knocked us over ; 
but we pushed on; and as I approached the head of the 
infantry column we had to run a regular gauntlet of 
shot from the Kafirs in ambush and behind rocks wait¬ 
ing for the 6 red ’ soldiers. Before I quite got to the 
infantry I saw the heads of five Kafirs behind a rock 
with their guns pointing at me. I gave the horse the 
spur and dashed on, and at that moment received a gun¬ 
shot wound low down on the outside of the left thigh, 
the ball passing upwards and out below the right hip. 
