r future use. The light from my fire could
only be seen from the sea, and there was no chance of any Zulu getting a
glimpse either of the fire or its smoke. I found several small fish in
the various pools which had been left by the high tide, and these I
intended to cook and eat on the morrow, because fish will not last fresh
as long as will flesh, especially when the weather is very hot. Having
had a good meal I felt fit for anything.

There are probably some people who would feel unhappy if they were alone
in a wild country, without clothes, weapons, or a stock of food; but I
had been trained in a rough school, and having, at least, two days' food
with me, I was far from feeling in a bad way. There is always something
pleasant in knowing that, on one's own exertions only, one's success or
failure really depends. Half the pleasure in life is lost when we are
helped to everything by the hands of another, our independence is gone,
and we become too often dissatisfied and idle. Not only did my daily
food depend on my exertions, but actually my life was in my own hands:
any incautious act, such as showing myself on the beach or bluff, might
lead to my being attacked by the Zulus. It was necessary to think
before I did anything, and my daily habits were therefore the result of
long consideration.

I had a wish to visit the Umbilo river, to see whether any of the
weapons belonging to the captain remained on the spot where he had been
killed. I knew this was a dangerous expedition to make; but everything
I did was dangerous now, for I could not tell who was my enemy, or where
I might meet one. I decided that any expedition I might make ought to
be undertaken towards evening; because, if I should be seen by the enemy
and pursued, the darkness of night would soon prevent them from
following my spoor, and I should get a good start of them during
darkness. If I could procure some weapon, even an assagy, I should feel
more able to defend myself against some possible assailant. As soon as
the sun approached the western horizon I moved along the beach towards
the Umbilo river, which I reached just as there was light enough to see
surrounding objects. I found the bodies of the captain and his men:
these had been mutilated by the Zulus, and the clothes of all of them
had been carried off. I looked carefully over the ground and among the
long grass, for anything that might have been dropped, and was delighted
to discover