certain; so it
is better for them they should not come. I will now go down and see
about cooking our rabbits, for some hot food will be good for us."

Hans descended to the natural hole in the rocks where he intended
lighting his fire as soon as it was dark enough to prevent the smoke
from being seen, and having waited till he thought his attempt might be
safely made, he lighted his fire, and adding plenty of wood, soon had a
sufficient quantity of heat to cook all his game.

Upon leaving the fire and re-ascending the ravine he was startled by
seeing the outline of several figures on the summits of the rocks above
them. Darkness had now set in, but it would not have been too dark to
have enabled him to distinguish these objects, had he not been lately
dazzled by the fire-light; this, however, had damaged his keenness of
vision for a time, and as the objects disappeared as soon as he moved in
the bushes, he had no second chance of examining them. From what he
saw, however, he was certain that either Kaffirs or Bushmen were on the
rocks above him. In either case his condition would be unpleasant, for
with the Bushman, every man's hand was against him, and his against
every man's; and if the Matabili had traced him to his present retreat,
his career would be soon terminated. In either case not a moment was to
be lost; so he rapidly moved over the distance which separated him from
the caves, when whispering to Victor what he had seen, they cautioned
Katrine to keep quiet and concealed, and grasping their rifles, they
took up a position from which they could obtain a commanding view of the
ridge on which Hans had seen the men.

They had not long to wait before their enemy appeared, drawn out in
relief against the sky for a background. Objects on the ridge were
visible which could not have been seen had they not been thus situated.
For this reason both Hans and Victor soon saw above twenty figures
slowly ascend the ridge, and there stand and examine the surrounding
country. As he saw the number of the enemy Hans raised his arm and
touched Victor, whilst in a whisper he said, "They must be Bushmen." It
seemed impossible that the whisper of Hans could be audible at the
distance at which the supposed Bushmen were examining the kloofs, and
still more improbable that the movement of Hans could have been seen
even by a Bushman's eyes, yet, on the instant, each figure disappeared
as though by magic, whilst no sound met th