first, only I
thought that we might need them to make a bolt on, or to carry
Anscombe if he could not walk.

Quite a long while went by before, glancing behind me, I saw
that the oxen that had been grazing at a little distance had at
length arrived and were being inspanned in furious haste. The
Basutos saw it also, and fearing lest we should escape,
determined to try to end the business. Suddenly they leapt from
their cover, and with more courage than I should have expected of
them, rushed into the river, proposing to storm us, which, to
speak truth, I think they would have done had I not been a fairly
quick shot.

As it was, finding that they were losing too heavily from our
fire, they retreated in a hurry, leaving their dead behind them,
and even a wounded man who was clinging to a rock. He, poor
wretch, was in mortal terror lest we should shoot him again,
which I had not the heart to do, although as his leg was
shattered above the knee by an Express bullet, it might have been
true kindness. Again and again he called out for mercy, saying
that he only attacked us because his chief, who had been warned
of our coming "by the White Man," ordered him to take our guns
and cattle.

"What white man?" I shouted. "Speak or I shoot."

There was no answer, for at this moment he fainted from loss of
blood and vanished beneath the water. Then another Basuto, I
suppose he was their captain, but do not know for he was hidden
in some bushes, called out--

"Do not think that you shall escape, White Men. There are many
more of our people coming, and we will kill you in the night when
you cannot see to shoot us."

At this moment, too, Footsack shouted that the wagon was
inspanned and ready. Now I hesitated what to do. If we made for
the wagon, which must be very slowly because of Anscombe's
wounded foot, we had to cross seventy or eighty yards of rising
ground almost devoid of cover. If, on the other hand, we stayed
where we were till nightfall a shot might catch one of us, or
other Basutos might arrive and rush us. There was also a third
possibility, that our terrified servants might trek off and leave
us in order to save their own lives, which verily I believe they
would have done, not being of Zulu blood. I put the problem to
Anscombe, who shook his head and looked at his foot. Then he
produced a lucky penny which he carried in his pocket and said--

"Let us invoke the Fates. Heads we run like heroes; tails