ensconced. His lordship had been providentially delayed by the breaking
of a trace; otherwise, it is clear that his self-nominated chaplain
would never have got through the steep streets of Heidelberg that night.
The town was choked up with Boer waggons, full of sleeping Boers. Over
one batch of waggons and tents John saw the Transvaal flag fluttering
idly in the night breeze, marking, no doubt, the headquarters of the
Triumvirate, and emblazoned with the appropriate emblem of an ox-waggon
and an armed Boer. Once the cart ahead of him was stopped by a sentry
and some conversation ensued. Then it went on again; and so did John,
unmolested. It was weary work, that journey through Heidelberg, and full
of terrors for John, who every moment expected to be stopped and dragged
off ignominiously to gaol. The horses, too, were dead beat, and made
frantic attempts to turn and stop at every house. But, somehow, they
won through the little place, and then were halted once more. Again the
first cart passed on, but this time John was not so lucky.

"The pass said one cart," said a voice.

"Yah, yah, one cart," answered another.

John again put on his clerical air and told his artless tale; but
neither of the men could understand English, so they went to a waggon
that was standing about fifty yards away, to fetch somebody who could.

"Now, _Inkoos_," whispered the Zulu Mouti, "drive on! drive on!"

John took the hint and lashed the horses with his long whip; while
Mouti, bending forward over the splashboard, thrashed the wheelers
with a _sjambock_. Off went the team in a spasmodic gallop, and it had
covered a hundred yards of ground before the two sentries realised what
had happened. Then they began to run after the cart shouting, but were
soon lost in the darkness.

John and Mouti did not spare the whip, but pressed on up the stony hills
on the Pretoria side of Heidelberg without a halt. They were, however,
unable to keep up with the cart ahead of them, which was evidently more
freshly horsed. About midnight, too, the moon vanished altogether, and
they must creep on as best they could through the darkness. Indeed, so
dark was it, that Mouti was obliged to get out and lead the exhausted
horses, one of which would now and again fall down, to be cruelly
flogged before it rose. Once, too, the cart very nearly upset; and on
another occasion it was within an inch of rolling down a precipice.

This went on till two in the morning, w