Part 3 (1/2)
That no ti from that part of the country, was the unaniain, and the journey continued without any delay Thus for two days the party retreated without seeing any thing of an enemy Game of various kinds was abundant; but except to supply themselves with food the hunters did not shoot, for they knew not how soon their livesat hand So that each bar of lead was at once converted into bullets or slugs, the loose poas un cleaned and carefully loaded, so as to be as efficient as possible
It was on theof the third day that the hunters observed in the distance what appeared to be a broken-doaggon, but no oxen or huht, however, as a wreck in the desert at once excited the curiosity of the travellers, who, leaving the waggons in charge of half the party, rode off to exaon appeared to have broken-down As they approached the spot, they saw a ns to them, and this man they found to be a Hottentot, as badly wounded in several places, and see supplied him with food, he inforing to a Dutch over the country in search of elands, when they were attacked by a party of Matabili, who cahters, killed the Dutchman and another Hottentot, and would have also killed him, had he not sha attentively the waggon and debris around, whilst he listened to the Hottentot's reerly inquired as the Dutch,” said the Hottentot
”Siedenberg!” shrieked Hans, as he grasped his rifle like a vice; ”and Katrine ith him?”
”Ja,” said the Hottentot; ”the Mooi Katrine has been carried off by the Matabili, and her little sister too”
”Men,” said Hans, as he turned to his co was to have been my wife in two months' time I swear she shall be freed from the Matabili, or I will die in the attempt Which of you will aid me in my work, with your rifles, horses, and skill?”
”I will,” replied Victor
”And I,” said Heinrich
”And I,” said all those with hireed that the journey should be continued until the waggons and their contents were placed in safety, for the Matabili had two days' start, and therefore could not be overtaken by the poor half-starved horses, which now alone belonged to the hunters Fresh horses, more people, and more aht be carried on against Moselekatse and his warriors The Hottentot was helped back to the hunter's waggons and allowed to ride in one of them; and the onward journey was continued with all speed, so that in three days after finding the broken-doaggon, the hunters had crossed the Narant farmers, ere encamped south of this river
The news of the attack on the hunters, the slaughter of Siedenberg, and the carrying off of his daughters, scarcely required to be detailed with the eloquence which Hans brought to bear upon it, in order to raise the anger and thirst for vengeance of the Dutchainst their savage and treacherous foe, whose proceedings caused a feeling of insecurity to pervade the Boers'
enca a lesson on the black chieftain was considered advisable And also there was a strong temptation to inflict this lesson, when it was reed to the Matabili, and would of course become the property of the conquerors; and who those conquerors would be was not doubtful, considering the relative value of assagies and double-barrelled guns
CHAPTER FIVE
COMMANDO AGAINST THE MATABILI AND MOSELEKATSE, THE CHIEF OF THE MATABILI
To men who lived the life of the fare animals, or those creatures which were hunted for the sake of their flesh, obliged to be watchful at all times on account of their enemies--the Kaffirs of the old colony and the tribes to the north of then were speedilythat on which Hans Sterk's party had rejoined his cohty Dutchmen, with as many after riders, all well-arainst the Matabili
The foe against which this party was being led was known to be both cunning and daring, and so it was considered expedient to place the cae of the absence of the greater nu men, should select that ti of African chieftains against their eneether and brushwood placed so as to prevent an easy entrance aular watches were set, so that a surprise would have been difficult, had it been atteular attack when the Boers were prepared would have ended in a fearful slaughter of the assailants Matters being thus satisfactorily arranged at houns, this being a
A leader having been chosen fro the first day had travelled nearly fortysurprised and also to ensure surprising the eneained fro such an eneh which the commando passed, and thus it was not necessary for the ht in the form of food; water was at this time of the year plentiful, and thus the two essentials of life, food and water, were to be obtained with ease To men who loved adventure as much as did these er coht, seen the jovial, free-fro tales, he would scarcely have iined that these men were bound on a ed with a brave and powerful eneh badly armed, still outnumbered them in the ratio of twenty to one Of all the party, Hans Sterk alone seehtful; but his look of deterhts were certainly not pacific; and when the evening arrived, and the men halted until the moon rose and enabled them to continue their journey, none were more active or watchful than Hans Sterk the elephant hunter
Five days and nights of rapid travelling brought the Boers within a few hours' journey of the head-quarters of the Matabili, when it was decided to halt in order to refresh both ain such infor men of the Matabili, as would enable them to attack the enemy at the weakest point
Whilst the Boers were thus undecided, they were joined by a party of about a dozen of their country left their wives and children with some men as escort, whilst they departed on a few days' journey, returned to find their waggons destroyed and their relativeswith all speed to their companions, they heard of their departure to attack the Matabili, and immediately started to join them On their journey they had come up with and surprised a party of Matabili, who all except onecapable, they thought, of being eventually of use
Moselekatse had made it law, that any man as either taken prisoner or who lost his weapons in a battle, and did not bring those of an enemy, was no more to be seen in his country Thus the captured Matabili considered it the better plan to turn traitor, and endeavour to make himself useful to his captors He therefore inforht enter Moselekatse's country from a position where they were not expected, and where no spies were on the look out; and thus, if the attack wereon this advice, the Boers started in the required direction, and were ready to dash upon their foes as soon as the first streaks of daylight illumined the land Their attack was entirely unexpected, for the Matabili who had co farmers, and who had attacked the hunters, had only just returned, and were rejoicing in their successes and in the trophies they had brought to the feet of their king Before, however, the sun had risen ht above the horizon, about 400 of the Matabili warriors were lying dead on the plains around their huts
Hans Sterk had not, like htering the ene in all directions to find some traces of the prisoners who had been carried off by the Matabili; but he failed in doing so, until he found a wounded enemy, to whom he promised life if he would inform him where the white maidens were hidden It ith difficulty that the two communicated, for Hans was but imperfectly acquainted with the half-Kaffir dialect spoken by the Matabili, and the wounded man understood but a feords of Dutch
Still, from him Hans learnt that Katrine and her sister were prisoners at Kapain, where Moselekatse then was; this place being a day's journey frohter, had just taken place
Hans' interests were not the same as those of the other Dutch Katrine fro her his wife; whilst his coe herds of cattle which were grazing around, and to take with theons lately taken from the travellers It was in vain that Hans pointed out to the coes to be derived fro up with rapidity the successes already obtained, and to attack the chief of the Matabili where it was impossible he could escape Carried away by his brief success, and uninfluenced by the argu as Hans Sterk, the commander of the expedition refused to advance, and ordered the immediate retreat of the whole party, with about seven thousand head of cattle This plan, having gained the approval of the majority of the men who formed the commando, was at once put into execution, and the retreat was cohters, and children left at the waggons were rejoiced at the return of the expedition, with such a valuable capture as many thousand head of cattle The news of this success spread aical effect, and many who had at first hesitated to follow the desert wanderers, now used the greatest expedition to do so, and thus the ranks of the wanderers were increased by some hundreds of souls But one drawback existed, however, as, and that was, that Hans Sterk, Bernhard, and Victor, had undertaken as considered a foolhardy expedition; for they had left the main body on the day after the battle, and were intent upon trying to effect the escape of two prisoners fro al the power and watchfulness of the eneainst whom they were about to try their skill But ill return to Hans and his two companions
CHAPTER SIX