Part 14 (1/2)

When Hans saw the thick skin tails that the man wore round his body and neck, and the shi+eld which had proved so useless against the Dutchht be of so the body of these scanty articles of attire, he fastened thereatthe extre discovered and at once overwhelmed by nu himself of his coat, he rolled this up, and fastened it inside the Kaffir's shi+eld His trousers he cut off at the knee, to which point the tails of the dead Kaffir reached His felt hat he also fastened up with the coat, and was thus bare-headed and bare-legged, whilst his body was concealed by the Kaffir's strips of skin In the ravine below him there were some pools of water, in which was dark blackinto the water, lifted out handfuls of the s, and hands Thus besn of his white coht easily have been taken for a Zulu even by day By night, however, it was iuish hih he had no looking-glass to guide hiun he carried with the shi+eld, so as not to attract attention, and his powder-horn and bullets, being slung over his shoulder, were covered by the long skin strips that fell over his shoulders

Having performed these various operations, he offered a prayer for his safety, and boldly commenced his journey He knew that the more he kept to the bush by day the better, but the open plains ht was bright and clear, and plenty of stars shone, so that he could by the onwards, he avoided all the Kaffirs' kraals that stood in his way, and had passed over upwards of threewith any obstacles As, however, he was passing so a beaten track which he re, he suddenly heard voices at no great distance, and before he could make up his mind whether to walk on or retreat, a voice in Kaffir called out, ”Where are you going?”

Fortunately there is a great similarity between the various dialects of South Africa The language of the Amakosa Kaffirs could be understood by the Zulus, and a Matabili could understand both Hans had always an aptitude for languages, and had become aware of the principal peculiarities or differences between the Zulu and A inquired frorants, when the latter entered the Natal district He therefore immediately understood the question put to hi replied, ”The chief sends me”

The answer satisfied his inquirers, who in the darkness could but discover a figure with a shi+eld, which seemed to them one of their own people, and thus this watchful party allowed Hans to pass without further inquiry, never dreareater part of the night, Hans continued to walk, and when the first dawn of day enabled him to see objects around him, he entered a dense bush, and there reht, he are that a Kaffir would be curious to see who it was that carried a gun with his shi+eld, and thus he would soon be discovered Having, therefore, succeeded in escaping one night, he hoped to be able to continue his journey again, and thus he would soon be within so short a distance of his friends that the Zulus would not dare to appear in force near the the day Hans adopted the sa, and scarcely un to increase the length of the shadohen he kneas past noon From his retreat he could see far around in all directions, and could thus at once perceive if the enens of thereater part of the day As the afternoon passed on, however, he was at once on the alert, when he observed a party of above twenty Zulus following the course he had taken, and evidently tracing hih he had adopted a Kaffir's attire in iven up his veldt schoens (skin-shoes), for to walk bare-footed would soon have lamed him

The footprint, therefore, which he left, especially when he walked by night and could not see how to avoid round, which took an impression easily, could be easily seen and traced by a Kaffir; and he was therefore tolerably certain that his enemies would trace him to his present retreat The party of Zulus were still ht of a bold expedient Partly concealed, as he would be, a the bushes, he trusted that even a Zulu would not be able to see through his disguise; so, standing erect, he shouted ”_Mena-bo_” (the land), and waved his shi+eld to attract attention The Zulus instantly saw him, and all listened to hear the news, for they immediately concluded that one of their tribe had forestalled theence of the ene with his shi+eld to the hill on his right, and in an opposite direction to that in which he intended to travel, sung out in true Kaffir style, ”_Uone there”)

”Have you seen hireat distinctness

”Yes; he hen the sun was up high,” was Hans' reply

Fearing that he ht be asked to come to his supposed friends, he shouted, ”The chief sends uthle_;” (”Travel on well;”) and, with no apparent effort at concealh the bush in the opposite direction to that in which he had said the white man had retreated

At first Hans believed his plan had proved entirely successful; for the Zulus ceased following the traces of his foot all the tins of the white ood use of his time that he had advanced nearly a ht to travel, whilst the Zulus were endeavouring by a short cut to come on to the spoor of the white ns of footprints, and then he saw them halt and apparently consult The result of this consultation was soon evident The party rapidly retraced their steps, and again followed the footprints which Hans hadthis, Hans used his utela river, which he kneas not more than two miles from him On the banks of this river there ooded krantzs and dark ravines, in which an arht lie concealed; and if he were pursued, he believed that in this locality he would have the best chance of escaping the keen eyes of his foes; or if unable to do this, he could fight with the best chance of success

As he ht of the Zulus, who had retraced their steps in order to continue their spooring; but he was not left long in doubt as to their proceedings, for upon looking round he saw the whole party on the crest of the hill over which he had passed, running rapidly after hi over their heads These men had discovered the ruse that had been practised upon them Even at first one or two suspicious Kaffirs had wished to call the stranger to theer had deterred thee Zulu had told theone, they beca their steps,--and finding that the traces of the covered foot led thee Zulu had been seen, and then led on in the direction in which he had retreated, they at once were almost certain they had been cheated by a bold and quick-witted enemy There was but a ht have been one of their own people, who had possessed himself of a Dutchman's shoes, and had worn these to protect his feet; but the style of as not that of a Kaffir, at least the most experienceddiscussed, a keen-sighted Kaffir observed on a thorn-bush a small piece of white substance, which on exaarment; and thus it was at once decided that the uised hie of the Kaffirs at having been thus deceived was so the crest of the hill over which Hans had retreated, they saw hiela river Compared to their own speed and power of endurance, they, had but a poor idea of that of any white man All white men, they believed, travelled on horseback, and were not, therefore, fitted to take long journeys on foot Thus the mile start which Hans had obtained, they did not consider of so much consequence as that it only wanted about two hands' breath of sundown The savage usually estimates the tile made by the sun's course with the horizon does not vary ives very close results By holding the ar the number of hands'-breadths the sun is above the horizon, the savage kno far he can journey before it sets The four fingers only of the hand, when closed and held out at arrees, and as the suntwo hands' breadth above the horizon would give it an altitude of about fourteen degrees Near the tropics this would indicate about two hours, or one hour and three-quarters towards sunset If, however, a person were at the equator it would indicate about seventy minutes to sunset It was by the sun's position that the Zulus knew they should have daylight scarcely more than two hours, and they must capture the whitehim at all They therefore ran with all speed after their eneer to deceive his pursuers, threw off his Zulu attire, dropped his shi+eld, and bringing his gun to the trail, ran forward towards the river

Hans soon found that he was not in condition for a pedestrian race against such ene him The Zulu is a born athlete; he is usually a spare man, with not an ounce of superfluous flesh about hireat excess of food, and thus can at a ht or tendown Had the race been one on horseback Hans would have felt more confidence, for to him the saddle was the natural condition, whilst pedestrianis and muscular, and prepared by his late hardshi+ps for an active life, he was not a very easy prey to his pursuers He, however, found hiround rapidly, and therefore that it was necessary to put in practice some scheme in order to save himself by his head, if he could not do so by his heels

The ground over which he had run was grassy, and thus easily took an impression, so that, even had Hans not known that he could be seen by his pursuers, he would have known that any attempt at concealment would have been fruitless, as his traces would shohere he had gone He ran on, therefore, with all the speed he could until he entered the ravine, which led eventually down to the Tugela, and he then tried an expedient which he believed would throw off his pursuers, at least for a tiround, on which a footprint was scarcely visible, and finding that he could not be seen by his pursuers, he left one or two distinct i his steps for about fifty yards, he trod carefully on large stones or hard ground, so as to leave no traces, and then took a direction at right angles to that he had formerly adopted The country was here sprinkled with low thorn-bushes, and was rocky and gravelly, so that footprints were not so easily seen and followed as inthus endeavoured to throw his pursuers out, stopped for a few ain his breath, and to listen to his eneer to overtake their victi soon to do so, for they had noticed the want of firmness in Hans' step, and concluded he was like so here and there a footprint which served to show theht track, the Zulus dashed down the ravine and beyond where Hans had turned and retraced his steps The whole party had gone nearly two hundred yards onwards before the leaders halted in consequence of finding no spoor; they then spread out in various directions endeavouring to find son Fortunately one of the footprints of Hans had been half concealed by that of a Zulu, who had trodden on the sa been observed, the Kaffirs believed that they ht have entirely obliterated other traces in their hasty rush down the ravine This induced the back, and Hans, who could hear their loud voices, knew he should at least obtain a good start even if they did discover his change of direction

Having regained his breath, Hans decided to reat haste, but quietly and with care, that he ht not be seen by his enemies; for this purpose he e, and entered a woody valley beyond; he was thus covered from the view of his pursuers, ere still puzzled to find his footprints He then walked quickly on until he found an open plain about half a mile across, between hirew on the banks of the Tugela Hans knew that here he reat risk, not so much from the enemy behind, for he believed he should be able to escape the, and ould see him and wait in ambuscade for him He had, however, so firm a conviction that the Zulus behind would only be temporarily puzzled by his artifice that he decided the least risk would be incurred by at oncea moment to decide for what part of the river he should run, he took one glance around, and then ran off into the plain

Hans had scarcely gone two hundred yards than he knew he had been discovered by the Zulus in rear, who, immediately they were confused by the spoor, had sent three men to the hill-tops to look out, in order, if possible, to catch sight of him These spies at once shouted to their co them, the whole body were quickly in pursuit Hans had, however, more than five hundred yards start, and he knew that he could reach the river long before he could be overtaken

Hohere to cross this river he knew not In soela is deep and wide, in other places shallow, the banks ain the river forces itself between deep precipices, where the baboon alone can ascend or descend Seeing the -like trees, Hans believed that the river rew; and he had therefore selected another part where low bushes prevailed, and where there was an indication of a rapid slope in the ground

The Zulus were more than a quarter of a mile behind when Hans reached the bank of the river, which he found steep and rocky, the river itself running rapidly over a stony bed This was just the condition he required; for although he could sell, yet Hans knew that he could not sith his heavy gun, nor could he keep his powder dry, and that therefore his last defence would be taken away On exa the bed of the river he concluded it was not out of his depth, so he instantly decided to cross Taking his powder-horn in one hand, and his gun in the other, he scra those parts where there seemed most ripples on the water, he waded to the opposite bank, the depth in no part being greater than to cover hih the rapidity of the strea He succeeded, however, in reaching the opposite bank without wetting his gun or powder, and he here deterht it possible that sohbourhood, and that the sound of a gun would call theood a defence as the river offered So concealing himself behind some bushes, he waited for his ene to wait As hounds follow the scent of their game, so came the Zulus to the banks of the river, looked for a moment at the bank, and then leapt into the stream Four Kaffirs who had outstripped the others in speed, were the first to enter the streahty yards wide; they could only advance at a slow pace in consequence of the slippery nature of the rocks and stones on which they had to tread, and also of the rapidity of the streaht of chasing a feeble enemy, that they had no idea of any risk as they thus ventured into the stream They believed the whitein throwing them off his spoor, and they fancied themselves more than a match for these

Hans watched the men enter the streaed man, who had invariably taken a decided lead whenever the Zulus had run any distance He was the first to enter the river, and was midway across before any of the others had advanced twenty yards Resting his gun on the branch of a small acacia, Hans aimed from his cover at this ela re-echoed the novel sound of a heavy gun The skill of the elephant hunter did not desert him on this occasion; his shot went truly, and the tall Zulu sank beneath the waters of the Tugela, an arm partly raised as the body hirled down by the rapid current being the only indication of the man's fate, after Hans' bullet had struck him

The Zulus had fresh in their uns in the late battle, and those ere already in the stream, and who saw the fate of their fastest runner, instantly turned and scra for a tian to feel the effect of a long fast, and of the exertion he had used to escape his pursuers; but a movement of the Zulus on the opposite bank showed him that this step could not be ventured on No sooner had those ere in the stream when he fired returned to land, than the chief of the party detailed four o down the streao round and cut off the retreat of the white man

This plan would at once have prevented Hans' escape, had he not seen theoff his hat, he ht see hi for another shot