when you are right off
the roads, unless the country carries too thick a population.

These advantages held good of our then trek. I had a first-rate tent
waggon of which mention has already been made. This, besides its load
of the lighter kinds of trade goods was fitted up with a _kartel_ and
mattress, for bad weather accommodation--in fine weather we preferred
sleeping on the ground. For the heavier kind, blankets and Salampore
cloth, pots and kettles and so forth, I had loaded up a buckwaggon,
constructed to carry anything up to twelve or fourteen thousand pounds
weight. Thus we travelled--carrying our home along with us.

A surprise had come upon me almost at the last moment, and that was that
by no possibility could I get any natives in our neighbourhood to cross
the Zulu border. Those who had at first engaged to cried off. If I had
been trekking with only one waggon I could have cut the knot of the
difficulty by driving it myself, and making my body servant Tom--who
would have gone to the ends of the earth with me, and to the devil after
that--act as leader, but I had two. Ivondwe I knew would have gone, but
I could not think of taking him away from the Sewins. The thing became
seriously annoying. I appealed to Tyingoza. What was the matter with
all the people? Were they afraid, and, if so, what of?

He was rather mysterious. There were rumours around that the Zulus were
not well disposed towards white people, he hinted, especially those away
on the northern border, where the King's authority was least strong.
That being so those in the position of white men's servants would
undergo risk--grave risk. But he would see what he could do, and in the
result he found me one man who understood driving. This man, whose name
was Mfutela, came from a kraal not far from Maritzburg. He was a ringed
man, and brought with him his son, a youngster of about fifteen, to do
leader. That would do. Things were brightening so far. I could drive
one of the waggons myself, until such time as I had taught Falkner Sewin
enough of the art to enable him to relieve me, and having thus decided I
was all ready to start when--another turned up.

This fellow was something of a mystery, and was not keen on answering
questions, but I gathered that his name was Jan Boom, at least that was
the only name he would own to, and that he was a Xosa from the Cape
frontier--far enough away in all conscience--who had drifted up to these