Year: 1873

| 1t was on the afternoon Of one 0


hottest days of an African summe


that I left my farm to ascend tn,


Draakensburg Mountains for the pur


pose Of finding, If possible, an Gland


species Of antelope-to replenish my


larder for the coming Christmas.


was at the time living alone in glel


formed by two spurs Of the mountain


with but few neighbors, and no towr


within fifty miles, but Is my Caffre.


had become sufficiently civilized to


understand that Christmas time mean,


unlimited eating, wished, by provid


ing game, to save an OK. I had only


five or six miles to go, and was well


mounted, SO did not hurry, but


leading my horse up the steep pass,


reached the place where intended to


sleep just as the sun was setting.


The scene around, though quite diff


ferent from our ideas of what it should


be in December, was very beautiful.


There was no snow no leafiess trees


with their delicate tracery set Off by


the glistening oai frost, nor dark


green frs bending under their white


load; but still there was enough to


keep me standing, forgetful Of fire.


wood aud all had to do for my coul-


fort during the night.


l WAS on u narrow ledge of rock


separated from the network of hills


beyond by adeep perpendicular gorge,
at the bottom of which, SO far down
that l could hardly distinguish it, ran
little burn. The setting sun gave
the peaks that rich purple hue seldom
seen away from heather aud on the
other side, as far as the eye could


reach, lay the thorn-covered flats and
hills of Natal.


Under the rock was q large cave,
where l had determined to sleep 1t
had n olden times been a regular re-
near it now; indeel. had not known
they came at all, but, on going in, l
found some calabashes, and the ashes
of newly made fire, which could
have been only left by them. There
were other marks on the walls, though
evidently of great antiquity rude
sketches and drawings of horses, cat
tie, bows and arrows, and even OF a
Bushman riding. 1t is most curious
that race SO low down in the scale of
humanity that their language only
contains few words made up OF up
pronounceable clicks, and who, with
the exception of the use of fire, in
their mode Of life differ but little from
the ape, should have learned to do
this. 1t may be that it is remnant
Of an old sign Language, or the last rel
ic Of some former civilization. 1t was
\ full moon, aud after admiring the
lights and shadows thrown
by 1t on the broken ground, l turned
in and slept till near daylight.


AS soon as could see l started to
hunt. Much to my annoyance at the
time. though l had sftsrward cause to
be thankful that my horse was spared
such gallop as riding down an eland
entails, l could find nothing, and could
tell by the spOors that no herd had
been about for some days. 1t was
nearly noon before became convinced
Of this; and, tempted by the shade of
q line oftree ferns edging little brook
whose bubble sounded refreshjngly
amidst the great heat, took my sad
die of, knee-haltered Prince, and lay
down. OF course soon dozed off, but
became awake again in about couple
Of hours; l say became awake" be-
cause 1t was not the natural rousing
up of person who has been asleep,
but sudden return to consciousness,
without any movement, and with all
my wits about me, and that inward
feeling, which perhaps some of my
readers may have experienced, of
being wrong, and a tension
of all the powers of hearing TO discov-
er what it is. 1 had not long to wait
whiz came tiny arrow, striking the
stone on which my head had been
resting, and where my cap still was.
1t did not require much thinking to
know that 3 Bushman's hand held
the bow it had come from, nor to de-
termine that the safest thing to do was
to roll quietly into the bed of the little
brook below me. Luckily this would
afford good shelter, and could almost
reach the edge with my hand.


The tremendous violence with
which these streams come down from
the hills during the heavy thunder
storms wears deep passage even in
the hardest ground, and though there
was only about an inch Of water, and
It was not yard broad, the banks
we're to the full four feet high. Leav-
ing my cap whore 1t was, rolled over
rs quietly as l could; but just a. l was
disappearing another arrow came aud
struck me in the thigh, the only part
not yet In safety. 1t took all my self
control to continue my movements
rs before until stood crouching at
the bottom. why" the reader may
"the pain of such = tiny ar.
row could not be very great" No,
neither Is the bite Of snake In itself,
yet Of the two the latter Is the least to
be dreaded. 1t was, of course, poison
ed with that deadly skill for which
the whole tribe Is famous; and as
stood belov I knew 1 had little chance
Of seeing another sunrise.


However, with that self-help that