tying themselves into a
double knot and over-setting the wagon, when Hans, who was helping me,
suddenly called out:

"Look! baas, here comes one of my brothers," or, in other words, a
Hottentot.

Following the line of his hand, I saw a thin and wretched creature,
clad only in some rags and the remains of a big hat with the crown out,
staggering towards us between the trees.

"Why!" exclaimed Marie in a startled voice, for, as usual, she was at my
side, "it is Klaus, one of my cousin Hernan's after-riders."

"So long as it is not your cousin Hernan himself, I do not care," I
said.

Presently the poor, starved "Totty" arrived, and throwing himself down,
begged for food. A cold shoulder of buck was given to him, which he
devoured, holding it in both hands and tearing off great lumps of flesh
with his teeth like a wild beast.

When at last he was satisfied, Marais, who had come up with the other
Boers, asked him whence he came and what was his news of his master.

"Out of the bush," he answered, "and my news of the baas is that he
is dead. At least, I left him so ill that I suppose he must be dead by
now."

"Why did you leave him if he was ill?" asked Marais.

"Because he told me to, baas, that I might find help, for we were
starving, having fired our last bullet."

"Is he alone, then?"

"Yes, yes, except for the wild beasts and the vultures. A lion ate the
other man, his servant, a long while ago."

"How far is he off?" asked Marais again.

"Oh, baas, about five hours' journey on horseback on a good road." (This
would be some thirty-five miles.)

Then he told this story: Pereira with his two Hottentot servants, he
mounted and they on foot, had traversed about a hundred miles of rough
country in safety, when at night a lion killed and carried off one of
the Hottentots, and frightened away the horse, which was never seen
again. Pereira and Klaus proceeded on foot till they came to a great
river, on the banks of which they met some Kaffirs, who appear to have
been Zulus on outpost duty. These men demanded their guns and ammunition
to take to their king, and, on Pereira refusing to give them up, said
that they would kill them both in the morning after they had made him
instruct them in the use of the guns by beating him with sticks.

In the night a storm came on, under cover of which Pereira and Klaus
escaped. As they dared not go forward for fear lest they should fall
into the hands of the Zulus, they fled