nce from any civilised settlement was the reason why he had
not done so. Although he was already far beyond the frontier, he still
kept up a sort of communication with the settlements, whereas at the
more distant point such a communication would be extremely difficult.

Now that other considerations weighed with him, his thoughts once more
returned to this spring; and after spending a few minutes more in
earnest deliberation, he decided upon "trekking" westward.

Swartboy was ordered to head round, and strike to the west. The Bushman
promptly leaped to his seat upon the voor-kist, cracked his mighty whip,
straightened out his long team, and moved off over the plain.

Hans and Hendrik were already in their saddles; and having cleared the
kraals of all their live-stock, with the assistance of the dogs, drove
the lowing and bleating animals before them.

Truey and little Jan sat beside Swartboy on the fore-chest of the wagon;
and the round full eyes of the pretty springbok could be seen peeping
curiously out from under the cap-tent.

Casting a last look upon his desolate kraal, the field-cornet turned his
horse's head, and rode after the wagon.

CHAPTER SEVEN.

"WATER! WATER!"

On moved the little caravan, but not in silence. Swartboy's voice and
whip made an almost continual noise. The latter could be plainly heard
more than a mile over the plain, like repeated discharges of a musket.
Hendrik, too, did a good deal in the way of shouting; and even the
usually quiet Hans was under the necessity of using his voice to urge
the flock forward in the right direction.

Occasionally both the boys were called upon to give Swartboy a help with
the leading oxen when these became obstinate or restive, and would turn
out of the track. At such times either Hans or Hendrik would gallop up,
set the heads of the animals right again, and ply the "jamboks" upon
their sides.

This "jambok" is a severe chastener to an obstinate ox. It is an
elastic whip made of rhinoceros or hippopotamus skin,--hippopotamus is
the best,--near six feet long, and tapering regularly from butt to tip.

Whenever the led oxen misbehaved, and Swartboy could not reach them with
his long "voorslag," Hendrik was ever ready to tickle them with his
tough jambok; and, by this means, frighten them into good behaviour.
Indeed, one of the boys was obliged to be at their head nearly all the
time.

A "leader" is used to accompany most teams of oxen in S