Hendrik.

Congo was unable to tell, for he seemed under the impression that he had
been several days in the bosom of the earth.

From Swartboy they learnt that soon after their own departure Arend had
started in pursuit of one of the horses seen straying over the plain.
That was the last Swart had seen of him.

The sun was now low down, and, without wasting time in idle speech,
Hendrik and Groot Willem again mounted their horses, and rode off
towards the place where Arend was last seen.

They reached the edge of the timber nearly a mile from the camp, and
then, not knowing which way to turn, or what else to do, Willem fired a
shot.

The loud crack of the roer seemed to echo far-away through the forest,
and anxiously they listened for some response to the sound. It came,
but not in the report of a rifle, or in the voice of the missing man,
but in the language of the forest denizens. The screaming of vultures,
the chattering of baboons, and the roaring of lions were the responses
which the signal received.

"What shall we do, Willem?" asked Hendrik.

"Go back to the halting-place and bring Congo and Spoor'em," answered
Willem, as he turned towards the camp, and rode off, followed by his
cousin.

CHAPTER SIX.

SPOOR'EM.

The last ray of daylight had fled from the valley of the Limpopo, when
Willem and Hendrik, provided with a torch and accompanied by the Kaffir
and the dog Spoor'em, again set forth to seek for their lost companion.

The animal answering to the name Spoor'em was a large Spanish
bloodhound, now led forth to perform the first duty required of him in
the expedition.

The dog, when quite young, had been brought from one of the Portuguese
settlements at the north,--purchased by Groot Willem and christened
Spoor'em by Congo.

In the long journey from Graaf Reinet, this brute had been the cause of
more trouble than all the other dogs of the pack. It had shown a strong
disinclination to endure hunger, thirst, or the fatigues of the journey;
and had often exhibited a desire to leave its new masters.

Spoor'em was now led out, in hopes that he would do some service to
compensate for the trouble he had caused.

Taking a course along the edge of the forest, that would bring them
across the track made by Arend in reaching the place where the horse had
strayed, the spoor of Arend's horse as well as the other's was
discovered.

The tracks of both were followed into the forest, along well-beat