ef."

Rupert took the glass from his brother. "You are right!" he exclaimed.
"They are riding fast, and keeping clear of the Zulu camp, which they
probably discovered from the height, and think it prudent to avoid. We
will go down and meet them. Percy, do you remain here on guard. You
need not rouse up our father, but if you see anything suspicious, send
down and let him know."

Saying this, Rupert, followed by Denis, hurried down. They made their
way over the drawbridge to the spot where the boat was concealed, and
pulled across to the opposite bank, towards which the horsemen came
galloping at full speed.

"Why, there's our friend Crawford," cried Denis, "and there are Umgolo,
old Vermack, and Matyana. They'll bring us news, I hope, of Hendricks
and Lionel."

Crawford, immediately dismounting, began to take the saddle off his
horse. "Thank you, my friends, for coming to meet me," he said; "you've
saved me from a wetting, and perhaps from the jaws of a crocodile.
Excuse me for being somewhat in a hurry; but the fact is that the old
Dutchman who escorted me here thinks that the Zulus out there would like
to get hold of our party, to retain us as hostages till you deliver up a
runaway chief who has taken refuge here." He was unbuckling the girths
as he spoke, and now, with the saddle on his arm, was stepping into the
boat when he recognised Denis. "What, my dear fellow, is it you
yourself, safe and sound!" he exclaimed, as they warmly shook hands, "I
am delighted to see you. The messengers who came from this place told
us of your arrival; for until then we were in great anxiety about you
and Percy. How did you get here?"

"I'll tell you all about it as we pull across," answered Denis; "but we
have no time to lose. See, there come a whole party of Zulus scampering
towards us, and whether or not old Vermack was right in his conjectures,
I don't suppose that they are coming with any friendly intentions."

As he spoke, he and Rupert shoved off, the Boer and the Kaffirs, who did
not dismount, driving his horse before them across the river.

While Rupert and Denis pulled, Crawford sat in the sternsheets, more
than once turning his head to ascertain how near the Zulus had got. He
and his companions on horseback had distanced them so much that he and
Denis had time to exchange a few words.

"You gave us a tremendous fright, I can assure you, Denis," said
Crawford. "Hendricks sent in all directions to look