ded that the man they had seen was a white man, who had disguised
himself as a Zulu in order to avoid detection.

The rage of the Kaffirs at having been thus deceived was somewhat
decreased when, on reaching the crest of the hill over which Hans had
retreated, they saw him in the distance moving rapidly towards the
Tugela river. Compared to their own speed and power of endurance, they,
had but a poor idea of that of any white man. All white men, they
believed, travelled on horseback, and were not, therefore, fitted to
take long journeys on foot. Thus the mile start which Hans had
obtained, they did not consider of so much consequence as that it only
wanted about two hands' breath of sundown. The savage usually estimates
the time in this way, and when near the tropics, where the angle made by
the sun's course with the horizon does not vary much during the year,
this method gives very close results. By holding the arm out from the
body, and measuring the number of hands'-breadths the sun is above the
horizon, the savage knows how far he can journey before it sets. The
four fingers only of the hand, when closed and held out at arm's length,
subtend an angle of about seven degrees, and as the sun moves obliquely
down towards the horizon, the sun being two hands' breadth above the
horizon would give it an altitude of about fourteen degrees. Near the
tropics this would indicate about two hours, or one hour and
three-quarters towards sunset. If, however, a person were at the
equator it would indicate about seventy minutes to sunset. It was by
the sun's position that the Zulus knew they should have daylight
scarcely more than two hours, and they must capture the white man before
that time, or they would fail in capturing him at all. They therefore
ran with all speed after their enemy, who, finding it was no use
attempting any longer to deceive his pursuers, threw off his Zulu
attire, dropped his shield, and bringing his gun to the trail, ran
forward towards the river.

Hans soon found that he was not in condition for a pedestrian race
against such enemies as those who were pursuing him. The Zulu is a born
athlete; he is usually a spare man, with not an ounce of superfluous
flesh about him; he is kept too in training by constant exercise and no
great excess of food, and thus can at a moment's notice run his eight or
ten miles, or walk his fifty miles without breaking down. Had the race
been one on horseback Hans wou