Kaffir can
show where the dead elephants are lying, and we will ride on. Shall we
follow the spoor, Victor, or try and cut off the track?"

"Better follow the spoor, Hans, I think," replied Victor; "but what does
Heinrich say?"

"Follow the spoor from where we last saw the elephants; we are sure to
find them there."

It being thus agreed among the most experienced to follow the spoor, the
whole party mounted their horses and rode on their journey, little
expecting what was before them.

There was but little game visible to the hunters as they rode towards
the locality on which their yesterday's sport had been enjoyed; but this
they believed was due to the alarm which their firing had caused; for so
wide, is the country in Africa, that the animals can, if necessary,
journey their forty miles during the night, and yet obtain a good
grazing-ground free from interruption; so that a hunter rarely expects
to find game in any district which has been hunted on the day
previously, but looks for it some thirty miles distant. As the hunters
rode forward the sun rose, and dried up the heavy dew which had covered
the herbage during the night. The fog and mist were scattered before
his burning rays, and the country once more exhibited its tropical
appearance.

Hans, who had taken out his telescope to examine the country in various
directions, at length exclaimed, "There is one of the Kaffirs near the
elephants. How could he get there before us?"

"It is 'Nquane, perhaps; he is very quick, and may have passed us in the
fog."

"No," replied Hans; "'Nquane, like all Kaffirs, does not like going a
journey before the sun has dried and warmed the air. Can the man be a
stray Matabili?"

"No matter if he is," said one of the Boers. "Let us canter on; we
shall soon see."

The hunters increased their speed, and rode on towards their dead
elephants, but saw, as they approached, no Kaffirs; and all except Hans
began to doubt whether the figure he had seen really was a Kaffir, or
only a stump burned and blackened so as to resemble a man. The party
left the open country, and rode into the forest, being obliged to ride
in file along the paths made by the elephants. They had penetrated
about two hundred yards into the forest, when a shrill whistle was
uttered from the wood behind, and instantly from all parts of the bush
an armed Matabili warrior sprang to his feet. Two hundred men at least
appeared, forming a ring, in the mid