The Press., 1892-08-18

the road and overhanging 1t, stood gi- gantic skeleton, with what appeared a coal of ardent fire upon its head, and she saw the same through the tail of the wagon after passing it. Expecting to see it enter the rear of the wagon she snatched down her rife, and just as she had it in rest and the oxen were in midstream, something, she could not see what, knocked the driver off the box No way discouraged, he mounted again, and bravely got the wagon across the drift and out of danger.
 Looking out of the back of the wagon my wife. declared that she saw by the starlight the skeleton form walking along the bank edge of the water and the reflection of it's figure in the shining surface. Nothing further happened then that night. About two weeks after this last episode the female Kafir servant, in looking at the pictures of an illustrated magazine, came upon an anatomy and immediately screamed, 1.-The spook, the spookv' so she must have seen it also. This became trouble to me, the more so as the civil commissioner or magis- trate spoke to me privately about the trouble at the Flat and told me that as was proprietor of the territory where all | this occurred my character obliged me to discover and end the trouble, and so enable him to punish the guilty.
 The general belief was that it was all owing to Hitges having killed his brother l in the old time, but and the commis- sioner thought it was material crime which was responsible.
 Still was troubled, and it was some time before thought out plan, but no sooner did so than put it into practice. I sent my wife to the Bay with load of potatoes-four tons-with directions to remain there with her cousin and on no account to return by that wagon; to let the empty wagon outspan at the Dorp on it's return, when two of my male friends would get in and ride to my place, but to lie down in the wagon just as they came to the fork. 1 In the evening crept down, alone and on foot, but with my rifle, on my shoul- der, to the fork and hid myself behind some extra large powders right opposite the bush where my wife and others had seen the skeleton. 1 lay patiently for hours, and at last was rewarded about midnight by hearing the wheels and the | whip of the returning wagon. As it ap- preached the drift the skeleton appeared and threw on the road and right in front of the oxen some white object, and l the leaders began to struggle ill fear. One of the men from the village had nrstad the regular driver and was un- able to master the animals, who were fast drawing to the high bank and would inevitably tip over the ponderous wagon and most likely kill or wound some one, not to speak of drowning the cattle. waited no longer, but fired both barrels al ternately at the figure in the bush, which immediately vanished. I then seized the leading oxen by the heads rim, picked up the white object (the dried skin of an owD and requested my friends to camp till morning. sent the wagon home with orders to bring back horses for four by daylight. At daybreak the horses arrived, bringing with them re- treatments for the party and my Hot tentot driver Ca native bosjeman), who commenced to hunt for spoor. He was busy for some time and then disappeared in the bush, but after spell from about half way up the mountain yelled to us, beckoning with his hand. We dis mounted, for the thorns were dense, and leaving our animals in charge, of one of our party, myself and remaining friend made our way through the thick cactuses and mimosa to where our driver was. He held up to our view small wad of twisted grass sneared with | blood. We all knew what it was with out explanation-it was the wad which a wounded Kaffir uses to stop a bullet 1 hole.
 'I followed 8 Kafir spoor," said our | driver, "and found this, and this, Rex claimed he, jumping few feet farther and picking blade of dry grass with one drop of blood on it. 1.-The Kaffr is hit badly, baas; let us follow the spoor." {"