l over his
shoulders.

Having performed these various operations, he offered a prayer for his
safety, and boldly commenced his journey. He knew that the more he kept
to the bush by day the better, but the open plains might be traversed by
night. Fortunately for Hans, the night was bright and clear, and plenty
of stars shone, so that he could by them find the direction in which he
should travel. Hastening onwards, he avoided all the Kaffirs' kraals
that stood in his way, and had passed over upwards of three miles
without meeting with any obstacles. As, however, he was passing some
dense bush, and following a beaten track which he remembered riding
along in the morning, he suddenly heard voices at no great distance, and
before he could make up his mind whether to walk on or retreat, a voice
in Kaffir called out, "Where are you going?"

Fortunately there is a great similarity between the various dialects of
South Africa. The language of the Amakosa Kaffirs could be understood
by the Zulus, and a Matabili could understand both. Hans had always an
aptitude for languages, and had become aware of the principal
peculiarities or differences between the Zulu and Amakosa, in
consequence of having inquired from those men who had come as
cattle-guards to the emigrants, when the latter entered the Natal
district. He therefore immediately understood the question put to him,
and without stopping replied, "The chief sends me."

The answer satisfied his inquirers, who in the darkness could but
discover a figure with a shield, which seemed to them one of their own
people, and thus this watchful party allowed Hans to pass without
further inquiry, never dreaming that he was an enemy disguised.

During the greater part of the night, Hans continued to walk, and when
the first dawn of day enabled him to see objects around him, he entered
a dense bush, and there remained concealed. Although his disguise might
succeed by night, he was aware that a Kaffir would be curious to see who
it was that carried a gun with his shield, and thus he would soon be
discovered. Having, therefore, succeeded in escaping one night, he
hoped to be able to continue his journey again, and thus he would soon
be within so short a distance of his friends that the Zulus would not
dare to appear in force near them.

During the day Hans adopted the same caution that he had on the previous
evening, and scarcely moved a limb. He saw no Kaffirs until the sun had