rtainty.

An animal, though little more than scratched with a Bushman's arrow, is
almost sure to die, rarely surviving more than one or two hours. The
Bushman is a most accurate shot, and can discharge his arrows with such
speed, that he will often have three arrows in the air at the same time,
the third being discharged before the first has struck the ground.

Knowing the accuracy of the Bushmen's aim, and the deadly nature of the
poison they used, Hans and Victor fully comprehended the danger, they
now encountered. The Bushman is as active as a baboon; and could these
men have been trusted, they would have been ordered to ascend the rocks
above the Dutchmen and shoot them from that position; but the Matabili
dare not trust them: they had captured these two men, and now showed
them that they must shoot the Dutchmen or be assagied themselves; thus
the two tiny Bushmen used all their skill and watchfulness in order to
save their own lives. The Bushmen finding that the Dutchmen kept under
cover and gave no chance for a shot, requested to be allowed to ascend
the rock and thus get a shot at their targets. The Matabili, however,
would not trust them to do this, as they feared they might go over to
their enemies, when once away from the range of their spears; so they
directed them to watch their chance of a shot, and if the white men
showed even a hand above the rocks, this hand was to be at once struck
with an arrow.

Both parties were now watching to obtain a chance of a shot at the
other: the white men shifted their position, so as not to give the
Bushmen a chance of firing even at the rocks near where they were
concealed; and the Bushmen dodged from tree to tree, in order to try to
obtain a shot at some part of the Dutchmen.

"I will try what sort of a shot I can make with a Bushman's bow and
arrow," said Hans; "I know a fellow is behind that tree stem, so I will
try and hit that with one of the arrows of the bow we have."

"Don't expose an arm, though, Hans," said Victor; "for it is death even
to be scratched by one of their arrows."

"I will be careful," replied Hans, as he fitted an arrow to the
bowstring, and crouching below the rocks they had piled up as a
breastwork, drew the bow and discharged the arrow. The little reed flew
on, and fell at the side of the tree near which one of the Bushmen was
crouching. The little man saw the arrow fall, though he knew not who
had discharged it, and, with an eagernes