re
remained only to arrange the watching of the horses, before going to
sleep. The native boys had watched them last night, and this duty of
course fell to myself and the overseer this evening. The first watch was
from six o'clock P. M. to eleven, the second from eleven until four A.
M., at which hour the whole party usually arose and made preparations for
moving on with the first streak of daylight.

To-night the overseer asked me which of the watches I would keep, and as
I was not sleepy, though tired, I chose the first. At a quarter before
six, I went to take charge of the horses, having previously seen the
overseer and the natives lay down to sleep, at their respective
break-winds, ten or twelve yards apart from one another. The arms and
provisions, as was our custom, were piled up under an oilskin, between my
break-wind and that of the overseer, with the exception of one gun, which
I always kept at my own sleeping place. I have been thus minute in
detailing the position and arrangement of our encampment this evening,
because of the fearful consequences that followed, and to shew the very
slight circumstances upon which the destinies of life sometimes hinge.
Trifling as the arrangement of the watches might seem, and unimportant as
I thought it at the time, whether I undertook the first or the second,
yet was my choice, in this respect, the means under God's providence of
my life being saved, and the cause of the loss of that of my overseer.

The night was cold, and the wind blowing hard from the south-west, whilst
scud and nimbus were passing very rapidly by the moon. The horses fed
tolerably well, but rambled a good deal, threading in and out among the
many belts of scrub which intersected the grassy openings, until at last
I hardly knew exactly where our camp was, the fires having apparently
expired some time ago. It was now half past ten, and I headed the horses
back, in the direction in which I thought the camp lay, that I might be
ready to call the overseer to relieve me at eleven. Whilst thus engaged,
and looking steadfastly around among the scrub, to see if I could
anywhere detect the embers of our fires, I was startled by a sudden
flash, followed by the report of a gun, not a quarter of a mile away from
me. Imagining that the overseer had mistaken the hour of the night, and
not being able to find me or the horses, had taken that method to attract
my attention, I immediately called out, but as no answer was r