iven at this council, I learned all about the
Bushmen. There was a perpendicular rock about a hundred times the
height of a man, on the top of which the Bushmen would assemble and defy
the Caffres; to ascend this rock there was a narrow ravine, like a cut
in the mountains that only one man at a time could ascend. The Bushmen
guarded this, and had large stones ready to drop on the men who came up,
and their poisoned arrows to discharge from their bows, so that it was
impossible to attack them there with any chance of success.

The Caffres saw no means by which they could kill the Bushmen, as the
rock could not be climbed, and was too high for an assagy to be thrown
to the top from the plains below. I, however, thought this just the
place that would be suitable for my plan; so, after the council, I told
Inyati I had heard all that had been said, and everything was just as I
wanted it to be. The only thing I feared was, that the Bushmen might
come down from their rock and attack me in the plain; but if I had a
hundred Caffres with me they would not do this.

As is usual with Caffre expeditions, we started before daybreak, guided
by a Caffre who knew the way; and by the time the sun had risen and the
mist had cleared from off the plains, we were within sight of the
Bushmen's rock. Inyati here took out his glasses, and after looking at
the rock for some time, informed us that there were ten or more Bushmen
on the top of the rock looking at us. We advanced quickly till within
about four throws of an assagy from them; at which distance we were
told, their arrows could not reach us. The Caffres then called to the
Bushmen, and asked why they killed the cattle. The Bushmen danced and
yelled, and fired two or three arrows at us, all of which fell short of
us by many paces. Seeing a large ant-hill a little nearer the rock, I
moved up to it; and, resting my rifle on the top, aimed at the group of
Bushmen on the hill. Having taken a good aim I pulled the trigger, and
when the smoke of my rifle cleared away I saw a Bushman tumbling down
the rock, whilst another was lying on the ground kicking, evidently
badly wounded. The other Bushmen were so astonished that they gathered
round the man who was on the ground, and looked at him, thus giving me
another good shot. I fired again, and another man fell down the rock
quite dead. The remainder of the Bushmen did not wait for anything
more, but retreated at full speed, climbing up