And yet such was the agony of my fear, that it seemed to me as though I only crept along the ground like a tortoise.

The roan was left behind, the sound of his foot-beats died away, and I was alone with the night and my fear.  Mile added itself to mile, for now and again the starlight showed me a stone or the skeleton of some dead beast that I knew.  Once I dashed into a herd of trekking game so suddenly, that a springbok, unable to stop itself, leapt right over me.  Once the mare put her foot in an ant-bear hole and nearly fell, but recovered herself—­thanks be to God, unharmed—­and I worked myself back into the saddle whence I had been almost shaken.  If I had fallen; oh! if I had fallen!

We were near the end of the flat, and she began to fail.  I had over-pressed her; the pace was too tremendous.  Her speed lessened to an ordinary fast gallop as she faced the gentle rise that led to the brow.  And now, behind me, once more I heard the sound of the hoofs of the roan.  The tireless beast was coming up.  By the time we reached the edge of the plateau he was quite near, not fifty yards behind, for I heard him whinny faintly.

Then began the descent.  The morning star was setting, the east grew grey with light.  Oh! could we get there before the dawn?  Could we get there before the dawn?  That is what my horse’s hoofs beat out to me.

Now I could see the mass of the trees about the stead.  And now I dashed into something, though until I was through it, I did not know that it was a line of men, for the faint light gleamed upon the spear of one of them who had been overthrown!

So it was no lie!  The Kaffirs were there!  As I thought it, a fresh horror filled my heart; perhaps their murdering work was already done and they were departing.

The minute of suspense—­or was it but seconds?—­seemed an eternity.  But it ended at last.  Now I was at the door in the high wall that enclosed the outbuildings at the back of the house, and there, by an inspiration, pulled up the mare—­glad enough she was to stop, poor thing—­for it occurred to me that if I rode to the front I should very probably be assegaied and of no further use.  I tried the door, which was made of stout stinkwood planks.  By design, or accident, it had been left unbolted.  As I thrust it open Hans arrived with a rush, clinging to the roan with his face hidden in its mane.  The beast pulled up by the side of the mare which it had been pursuing, and in the faint light I saw that an assegai was fixed in its flank.

Five seconds later we were in the yard and locking and barring the door behind us.  Then, snatching the saddle-bags of ammunition from the horses, we left them standing there, and I ran for the back entrance of the house, bidding Hans rouse the natives, who slept in the outbuildings, and follow with them.  If any one of them showed signs of treachery he was to shoot him at once.  I remember that as I went I tore the spear out of the stallion’s flank and brought it away with me.