fore our
passage was unnoticed.

We followed an old waggon track along the Buffelskloof, where a road
leads from Tautesberg to Blood River. The stream runs between Botha's
and Tautesbergen, and flows into the Olifant's River near Mazeppa
Drift. It is called Blood River on account of the horrible massacre
which took place there many years before, when the Swazi kaffirs
murdered a whole kaffir tribe without distinction of age or sex,
literally turning the river red with blood.

Towards evening we reached the foot of the mountains, and moved in a
north-westerly direction past Makleerewskop. We got through the
English lines without any difficulty along some footpaths, but our
progress was very slow, as we had to proceed in Indian file, and we
had to stop frequently to see that no one was left behind. The country
was thickly wooded, and frequently the baggage on the pack-horses
became entangled with branches of trees, and had to be disentangled
and pulled off the horses' backs, which also caused considerable
delay.

It was 3 o'clock in the morning before we reached the Olifant's River,
at a spot which was once a footpath drift, but was now washed away and
overgrown with trees and shrubs, making it very difficult to find the
right spot to cross. Our only guide who knew the way had not been
there for 15 years, but recognised the place by some high trees which
rose above the others. We had considerable difficulty in crossing, the
water reaching to our horses' saddles, and the banks being very steep.
By the time we had all forded the sun had risen. All the other drifts
on the river were occupied by the enemy, our scouts reporting that
Mazeppa Drift, three miles down stream, was entrenched by a strong
English force, as was the case with Kalkfontein Drift, a little higher
up. I suppose this drift was not known to them, and thus had been left
unguarded.

[Illustration: Crossing Railway Line Northward (Between Balmoral and
Brugspruit Stations).]

Having got through we rode in a northerly direction until about 9
o'clock in the morning, and not until then were we sure of being clear
of the enemy's clutches. But there was a danger that the English had
noticed our absence and had followed us up. I therefore sent out
scouts on the high kopjes in the neighbourhood, and not until these
had reported all clear did we take the risk of off-saddling. You can
imagine how thankful we were after having been in the saddle for over
19 hours,