tion when I heard the cries of a child in the
thicket, almost close by me, and well could distinguish that the cries
proceeded from the mouth of my own dear William. We all rushed
spontaneously into the thicket, and all towards the same point; but
found nothing. I cried on my boy's name, but all was again silent, and
we heard no more. He only uttered three cries, and then we all heard
distinctly that his crying was stopped by something stuffed into his
mouth. Before day, we heard some movement in the thicket, and though
heard by us all at the same time, each of us took it for one of our
companions moving about; and it was not till long after the sun was up,
that we at length discovered a bed up among the thick branches of a
tree, and not above twelve feet from the ground; but the occupants had
escaped, and no doubt remained but that they were now far beyond our
reach.

We then tried the dog, and by him we learned the way the fliers had
taken; but that was all, for as the day grew warm, he lost all traces
whatever. We searched over all the country for many days, but could find
no traces of my dear boy, either dead or alive; and at length were
obliged to return home weary and broken-hearted.

About three months after this sad calamity, one evening, on returning
home from my labour, my Agnes was missing, and neither her maid-servant,
nor one of all the settlers, could give the least account of her. My
suspicions fell instantly on the Kousi chief, Karoo, for I knew that he
had been in our vicinity hunting, and remembered his threat. I and three
of my companions now set out and travelled night and day, till we came
to the chief's head-quarters. Karoo denied the deed; but still in such a
manner that my suspicions were confirmed. I threatened him terribly with
the vengeance of his friend captain Johnstone, and the English army at
the Cape, saying, I would burn him and all his wives and his people with
fire. He wept out of fear and vexation, and offered me the choice of his
wives, or any two of them, shewing me a great number of them, many of
whom he recommended for their great beauty and fatness; and I believe he
would have given me any number if I would have gone away satisfied. But
the language of the interpreter being in a great measure unintelligible,
we all deemed that he said repeatedly that Karoo _would not give the
lady up_.

What was I now to do? We had not force in our own small settlement to
compel Karoo to resto