esperadoes, right in their own
especial haunt, in the thick of their own wild fastnesses; for it was
highly probable that those whom I pursued had joined, or been joined by,
others in front. Yet if I gave the matter a thought it was only a
passing one.

Now my steed pricked up its ears and began to whinny, recognising the
close propinquity of its friends, and there sure enough, as the bush
thinned out somewhat, I could see the two runaways barely that number of
hundred yards ahead. Putting on a spurt I had halved the distance, when
they halted. He who bestrode Beryl's steed was an evil-looking savage
with a string of blue beads about his neck, and an expression of
contemptuous ferocity on his countenance as he faced round and awaited
me, trying to conceal a long tapering assegai which he held ready to
cast. But I rode straight for him, and when within thirty yards he
launched the spear. Heavens! I could feel the draught created by the
thing as it whizzed by my ear with almost the velocity of a bullet, and
then I was upon him. But the fellow, who was quite a good horseman for
a Kafir, managed to get hold of my bridle rein and, jerking it partly
from my hand, hung back with it in such wise as to prevent my steed from
ranging alongside of his. A mad, murderous temptation flashed through
my mind to empty my shot barrel into his abominable carcase, but Brian's
emphatic warning still in my memory availed to stay my hand.

I hardly know what happened then, or how. Whether it was that my horse,
violently tugging backwards, succeeded in jerking the rein free, or my
adversary, seeing his opportunity, had purposely let go, but the sudden
recoil caused my fool of an animal to lose his balance and go clean
over, taking me with him, and lo! I was rolling ignominiously upon the
ground, though, fortunately, not under him. I saw the grin on the face
of my late enemy, heard his jeering guffaw, and then--something swooped
down over my head and shoulders shutting out sight and air in a most
horrible and nauseous suffocation, pinning my arms to my sides, which
several hands securely bound there. A babel of deep jeering voices
filled my ears, muffled as they were, and I was seized and violently
hustled forward at a great pace over a rough and stony way, the vicious
dig of an assegai in my thigh emphasising a volley of injunctions which
I could not understand. What I could understand, however, was that was
expected to walk, and