f which a stream ran, and on the
banks of this stream the new hut was being built in such a position that
the heat of the sun could strike it but little.

While he was taking note of these and other things Zinti saw some of
those who were working at the hut leave it and start to walk towards the
cleft. So having learnt everything that he could he thought it was time
to go, and slipped away back to the bush, and thence homewards by the
road which the cow had shown him.

Now, it chanced that as he went Zinti pierced his foot with a large
thorn so that he was only able to travel slowly. On the fifth night of
his journey he limped into a wood to sleep, which wood grew not much
more than two hours on horseback from our farm. When he had been asleep
for some hours he woke up, for all his food was done, and he could not
rest well because of his hunger, and was astonished to see the light of
a fire among the trees at some distance from him. Towards this fire he
crept, thinking that there were herds or travellers who would give him
food, but when he came to it he did not ask for any, since the first
thing he saw was Swart Piet himself walking up and down in front of the
fire, while at some distance from it lay a number of his men asleep in
their karosses. Presently another man appeared slipping through the tree
trunks, and coming to Swart Piet saluted him.

"Tell me what you have found out," he said.

"This, Baas," answered the man; "I went down to Heer Botmar's place and
begged a bowlful of meal there, pretending that I was a stranger on a
journey to court a girl at a distant kraal. The slaves gave me meal
and some flesh with it, and I learned in talk with them that the Heer
Botmar, his vrouw, his daughter Suzanne and the young Englishman,
Heer Kenzie, all rode away yesterday to the christening party of the
first-born of the Heer Roozen, who lives about five hours on horseback
to the north yonder. I learned also that it is arranged for them to
leave the Heer Roozen to-morrow at dawn, and to travel homewards by
the Tiger's Nek, in which they will off-saddle about two hours before
mid-day, for I forgot to say that they have two servants with them to
see to their horses."

"That makes six in all," said Swart Piet, "of whom two are women,
whereas we are twenty. Yes, it is very good, nothing could be better,
for I know the off-saddling place by the stream in Tiger's Nek, and it
is a nice place for men to hide behind the rocks a