ou think," inquired Hans, "that the Amakosa Kaffirs fought as
bravely when they attacked Graham's Town as the Zulus have done lately
against us?"

"Yes, I think they did. All savages fight well; there is no want of
courage amongst them; and when they are assured by their prophets that
bullets won't touch them, and assagies will be blunted against them,
they will fight like demons, and will rush up to the very muzzles of the
guns without fear or hesitation. The Amakosa, however, fear the Zulus,
and have an idea that the Zulu is brave and very strong. This is
because the Zulus drove the Fetcani down the country from the East, and
the Fetcani, taking a lesson from the Zulus, drove the Amakosa Kaffirs
before them, so that the latter sought the aid of the English against
these invaders, whom they then defeated."

"Most of those who now claim portions of the country seem to have won it
from some one weaker than themselves," said Hans. "We lost the country
we had won, and the Kaffirs seem to have lost their country, or a great
part of it. I hope we shall never lose Natal."

"Natal is too far away to make people anxious for it," replied Hofman;
"though if people knew how fine a place it was, they would come to it
from many parts of the world. I wonder the Portuguese never took
possession of it, as they have Delagoa Bay close to it."

"They have enough land there, and don't want more, so I have heard,"
replied Hofman. "They send parties to hunt elephants near this. Did
you see any spoor to-day, or do you think your elephants had been hunted
lately?"

"No, my elephants knew what a gun was, but they did not seem disposed to
trouble themselves much about it; for though they ran at first, they
soon stopped again, and I thus shot my first elephant on foot."

"To-morrow we will collect our ivory, and we must search for fresh game,
for the elephants will trek from here. We shall have much work, so we
will do well to sleep now."

With this parting advice Hofman made his brief arrangements for
sleeping, a proceeding that was followed by all the other hunters, and
the camp was soon in a state of repose. The horses were fastened to the
waggon wheels, the oxen tied to stakes driven into the ground, and thus
prevented from straying or wandering where they might tempt a hungry
lion or hyena, and with but few exceptions every human being slept, for
hunters sleep lightly even when tired, and the oxen or horses soon give
an ala