er of a mile both animals were walking with comparative
ease and following me quite contentedly, especially the colt, who
continued to beg for biscuits until he had exhausted my limited supply.
Meanwhile Piet, who clearly understood what I was endeavouring to do,
returned to where we had left the horses and followed with them, and in
this curious fashion we at length met the wagon, and, joining forces,
arrived at the spot where I planned to outspan for the night. I had a
little trouble with my captives when we first met the wagon, both of
them being somewhat startled by the hideous yells and rifle-like
whip-crackings wherewith Jan urged forward the oxen; but a few more
biscuits, hastily obtained from the wagon, restored the colt's
equanimity. And, not to dwell at undue length upon this incident, we
had scarcely any further trouble with either of our prizes, the colt
very rapidly developing perfect amenability, while the mare, although
less tractable, never attempted to desert her offspring, and was
becoming quite tame when tragedy unhappily overtook them both.

CHAPTER NINE.

I ARRIVE IN MASHONALAND.

The whole of the next morning was devoted by us to the task of cutting
out the ivory from the three big tuskers killed in the forest, and the
exceptional size of the elephants may be judged from the fact that the
weight of ivory taken from them amounted in the aggregate to four
hundred and forty-seven pounds. Then, about two o'clock in the
afternoon, we inspanned the oxen and trekked in a north-easterly
direction, with the range of hills cut through by the curious gorge
about a quarter of a mile on our left and the Drakensberg range of
mountains towering aloft on our right some fifty miles distant. We
trekked until within half an hour of sunset, by which time we had
rounded the north-eastern spur of the range of hills, passed the
northern extremity of the gorge, and "struck" another river, about one
hundred and twenty yards in width, flowing northward, on the right bank
of which we outspanned for the night. Two days later, trekking
northward along the course of the last-mentioned river, we arrived at
its junction with the Limpopo, on the farther side of which lay my goal,
Mashonaland; and here we again outspanned, while Piet and I went on a
prospecting tour in search of a drift by means of which the wagon might
be safely taken across.

Leaving the wagon, our spare horses, and the zebras in charge of Jan,
the