ese people, and gave our horses
time to refresh themselves; and then we set off again, keeping more
towards the coast as we went southward, for the Gorraguas told us that
there was a fierce native tribe, called Kaffers, to the northward, who
would certainly kill us if we went there. The fact is, we did not know
what to do. We had left the Cape without any exact idea where we should
go to, like foolish boys as we were, and we became more entangled with
difficulties every day. At last we decided that it would be better to
find our way back to the Cape, and deliver ourselves up as prisoners,
for we were tired out with fatigue and constant danger. All that we
were afraid of was that we had killed the Dutch farmer at Graaff Reinet,
who had treated us so brutally; but Hastings said he did not care; that
was his business, and he would take his chance: so when we bade adieu to
the Gorraguas, we turned our horses' heads to the south-east, so as to
make the sea and go to the southward at the same time.

"I have now to mention a most melancholy event which occurred. Two days
after we had recommenced our travels, in passing through some high
grass, we stumbled on a lion, which was devouring a gnu. Romer, who
happened to be some ten yards foremost of the three, was so alarmed that
he fired at the animal, which we had agreed never to do, as it was folly
to enrage so powerful a beast, when our party was so small. The lion
was slightly wounded; he gave a roar that might have been heard for a
mile, sprang upon Romer, and with one blow of his paw knocked him off
the saddle into the bushes. Our horses, which were frightened, wheeled
round and fled, for the animal was evidently about to attack us. As it
was, he did make one bound in our direction; we could not pull up until
we had gone half a mile; and when we did, we saw the lion had torn down
the horse which Romer had ridden, and was dragging away the carcass to
the right at a sort of a canter, without any apparent effort on his
part. We waited till he was well off, and then rode back to the spot
where Romer had fallen: we soon found him, but he was quite dead; the
blow with the lion's paw had fractured his skull.

"I ought to have said that the Gorraguas told us not to travel by night,
but by day; and we had done so in consequence of their advice. I
believe it was very good advice, notwithstanding this unfortunate
accident, for we found that when we had travelled all night th