doing a bit of scouting round your
kraal. If you will show me the way to the Biggersbergen I will give
you 5s. on account." My amiable and dusky friend insisted on 7s. 6d.,
but after I had intimated that if he did not accept 5s. I should
certainly burn his entire outfit, slaughter all his women and kill all
his cattle, he acquiesced. A young Zulu was deputed as my guide, but I
had to use my fists and make pretty play with my revolver, and
generally hint at a sudden death, or he would have left me in the
lurch. He muttered to himself for some time, and suddenly terminated
his soliloquy by turning on his heels and disappearing in the
darkness.

The light of a lantern presently showed a railway station, which I
rightly guessed to be Waschbank. Here two Englishmen, probably railway
officials, came up to me, accompanied by my treacherous guide. The
latter had obviously been good enough to warn the officials at the
station of my approach, but luckily they were unarmed. One of them
said, "You've lost your way, it appears," to which I replied, "Oh, no,
indeed; I'm on the right track I think." "But," he persisted, "you
won't find any of your people here now; you've been cut to pieces at
Elandslaagte and Lukas Meyer's and Erasmus's forces round Dundee have
been crushed. You had better come along with me to Ladysmith. I
promise you decent treatment." I took care not to get in between them,
and, remaining at a little distance, said, revolver in hand, "Thanks
very much, it's awfully good of you. I have no business to transact in
Ladysmith for the moment and will now continue my journey.
Good-night." "No, no, no, wait a minute," returned the man who had
spoken first, "you know you can't pass here." "We shall see about
that," I said. They rushed upon me, but ere they could overpower me I
had levelled my revolver. The first speaker tried to disarm me, but I
shook him off and shot him. He fell, and as far I know, or could see,
was not fatally wounded. The other man, thinking discretion the better
part of valour, disappeared in the darkness, and my unfaithful guide
had edged away as soon as he saw the glint of my gun.

My adventures on that terrible night were, however, not to end with
this mild diversion. About an hour after daybreak, I came upon a barn
upon which the legend "Post Office Savings Bank" was inscribed. A big
Newfoundland dog lay on the threshold, and although he wagged his tail
in a not unfriendly manner, he did not seem