ess--for ivory and hides. Of course they must take
the chances of a risky trade."

This sad incident naturally cast a gloom over the party, and they
remained there only long enough to cut out the tusks of the male
elephant and stow them away with choice parts of the meat in their
waggon.

After quitting the valley they fell in with the party under John Skyd
and Frank Dobson, and led by Stephen Orpin. They were much surprised to
find with these their friends Kenneth McTavish and Groot Willem, who
soon accounted for their unexpected appearance. They had been steadily
tracing the spoor of poor Junkie, had lost and re-found it several times
and, during their pursuit, had crossed the waggon-tracks of Skyd and his
party, whom they followed up, in the faint hope that they might have
heard or seen something to guide them in their search. In this they
were disappointed.

After a brief council of war it was resolved to join their forces and
continue the search after Junkie.

Proceeding on their way, they fell in with a wounded Kafir. He lay
dying under a bush, and made no attempt to escape, although he evidently
regarded the white men as enemies. Having been reassured on this point,
and comforted with a piece of tobacco, he told them that his village had
been attacked by the Fetcani and completely destroyed, with all the
women and children--only a few of the wounded warriors like himself
having escaped, to perish in the jungle. The Fetcani he described as
the most ferocious warriors ever seen. They did not use the ordinary
assagai or throwing spear, but a short stabbing one, and invariably
closed at once with their foes with irresistible impetuosity.

On being questioned about prisoners, and reference being made to white
men's children, he said that he had heard of a white boy who was brought
to a village a day's march or more from where they then were, but added
that the Fetcani hordes had gone off to destroy that village just after
destroying his own, and that he had no doubt it was by that time reduced
to ashes and all its inhabitants slain.

On hearing this, and learning the direction of the village in question,
the hunters went off at full gallop, leaving the waggons to follow their
spoor.

It was nearly sunset when they came to an eminence beyond which lay the
Kafir town of which they were in search. The first glance showed that
something unusual was going on in it--at the same time it relieved their
fears