a raft on which to keep my powder and gun above the water. This
raft I pushed before me whilst I swam, and thus succeeded in getting
over the water with my valuable cargo in safety.

I now felt well prepared to pass a long time in my solitary locality; so
I set to work to cut down some small trees, and make a sort of Caffre
hut. This I deemed necessary for my safety by night, or when I slept;
for if a leopard or a rock-snake found me asleep, the first might carry
me off before I could use my gun, and the snake might encircle me in his
folds, and crush me before I could use even a knife. It occupied me two
days to complete my hut, which was then waterproof and quite safe from
the attacks of any animals--at least so I imagined.

In the present day, when a box of lucifer matches enables every person
to instantly procure a fire, it is not easy to realise the difficulty
that is experienced by those unprovided by any such artificial aids. To
procure a fire I was obliged to adopt the usual Caffre method of using
two dry sticks. One of soft wood was placed on the ground, the other of
hard wood was held in the hands and worked round, whilst it was pressed
into a hole in the soft wood. After several minutes of this work a few
sparks would be produced, which were placed in a wisp of dry grass, and
swung round at arms-length. By this means a small flame was produced
and a fire kindled. It was then my particular care to preserve this
fire, and never let it die out. To do so was no easy matter, for I was
obliged to have a large stock of dry wood collected, and to so heap this
up, and protect it from the wind, that it would smoulder for hours. If
there came rain, it was even more difficult to keep the fire permanently
burning; and, after rain, to reproduce fire was extremely laborious.
This, then, was one great source of anxiety to me, for I dare not let
any smoke rise in the air, for this would let any enemy know that man
was on the bluff; for, clever and cunning as all animals in a wild state
become, even the monkey or baboon does not know how to create a fire, or
how to keep this fire blazing when they do find one which man has
lighted, I have now to relate one of the greatest escapes I ever
experienced, though many which I have already described may appear to
have been marvellous.

A week had passed since I had procured the gun and some assagies from
the place where the Zulus had ambushed the white men, and I had seen n