go on
ahead, while he brought up the rear. He had got to a short distance
when Mangaleesu was heard shouting--

"Go on, go on! they try kill! No time lose!"

These words, spoken in English, were mixed up with Kaffir expressions,
hurling abuse at their heads, evidently for the purpose of deceiving his
countrymen.

Hendricks inwardly thanked Mangaleesu for the warning he had given;
still he knew that it was important not to exhibit the slightest alarm,
as by so doing he should only the more speedily tempt the Kaffirs to
follow. The old witch, now finding that her intended victims were
likely to escape her, or rather, that her traitorous plan for committing
Umbulazi with the English--for such there can be no doubt she
entertained--was a failure, shrieked out to the warriors--

"What! are you going to let the dogs escape? Come on! come on! we shall
be even now in time to overtake them. Never mind what Umbulazi says.
He will thank you for destroying his enemies."

At this time she was some distance from the prince, so that her remarks
were not heard by him, and no one would have ventured to repeat them.
Several of the chiefs had already been influenced by her, and a large
number of the men, excited by her denunciations against the hunter and
his party, uttering loud shouts, rushed forward with their assegais
quivering in their hands, bent on their destruction.

Hendricks, who had been carefully noting what was occurring among the
people, even before they made an onward movement, knew what was about to
happen. He now saw that not a moment was to be lost.

"On, on, my lads!" he shouted; "keep straight ahead up the hill."

Crawford, who had gone ahead, with Denis behind him, dug his spurs into
his horse's flanks. Lionel and Percy followed close to him. The rest
of the party were not far behind. Hendricks brought up the rear,
keeping his rifle ready to shoot down any warrior with a fast pair of
heels who should come near enough to hurl his assegai. When once he had
got a good start, he had no doubt about keeping well ahead. But the
hill had to be surmounted, when the men on foot would have the advantage
of the horses. He turned for a moment to take a glance at his pursuers.
Excited to fury by the howls and shrieks of the old hag, they were
exerting every muscle of their lithe bodies to spring over the ground,
and were coming on at a rapid rate. The well-trained steeds bravely
pressed up the hill, as if the