excepting four; and was informed that the sheep had been, through
the carelessness of Andries whose turn it was to attend them, allowed
to stray away; and that the rest were gone in different directions in
search of them.
However; he and Stuurman, soon returned, recollecting that
the oxen had, in this confusion, been left in the plain without any
person to watch them. Soon after this, the dread of being seen by
the Bushmen, drove Van Roye and Cornells home, though they were
both mounted and armed, and could have little danger to fear; as
that nation are themselves, as I have before remarked, greatly afraid
of horsemen : from whom they have, if inferior in numbers, lio chance
of escaping on the plains; nor, if superior, any possibility of pursuing
them. It was therefore pure timidity, and cowardice which
compelled these two men to return so soon and before they had
discovered any traces of the sheep. On such occasions it was more
especially the appointed duty of the horsemen to go on search of lost
cattle. They excused their return, by pretending that Speelman and
Platje had undertaken to follow the track. This was a mere
pretence; though it was true that Speelman and Platje were the only
two who continued the search: and who, indeed, caused me much
anxiety by remaining absent during the night.
25th. As they did not make their appearance on the next
morning, I ordered Philip and Van Roye to ride out in the direction
in which they were last seen, and make some signal to guide them,
in case they might have lost their way. On arriving at a distant part
of the plain, they fell in with a camelopard, at which they fired,
but without effect. They soon afterwards came upon a Kanna (Eland)
which Philip immediately shot. It fortunately happened that the
reports of their muskets were heard by Speelman, though still at a
great distance; and, these plains being, as already described, covered
with tall dry grass, he directly set fire to it; and soon the country
for a great extent, was put in a blaze, and clouds of smoke ascended
high into the air. Knowing that we could not but be uneasy at his
absence, he understood the sound of the guns as a signal made to
him; and adopted this most effectual mode of answering it, and of
more readily pointing out his situation. As soon as Philip and his
companion had, by riding forward, ascertained that the two Hottentots
and sheep were safe and returning home, they made the
best of their way to the waggons to give us speedy intelligence that
all was well.
In the mean time, we had observed the smoke; and various
were the debates among us,> respecting the occasion of it: but all
concluded that it bore a suspicious appearance, and was to be interpreted
as a signal of some, .misfortune, or of their having been
found murdered by the Bushmen; and when, in about an hour
afterwards, we saw the two horsemen galloping at full speed towards
us, we were filled with the most melancholy forbodings of the sad
tidings which, we supposed, they were bringing to us.
Our rejoicing therefore was the greater, when we were told
that the lost men, and the sheep were all safe and on their way
homewards.
'When Speelman and Platje arrived, they , were received with
general congratulation; and provisions, of which they stood much
in need, were immediately set before them. Their account was;
that, having fallen in with the track of the sheep, they followed it
in expectation of soon overtaking them; and with this hope were
led on the whole day, till the darkness of evening prevented their
discerning the footmarks any longer. They then lay down to sleep,
and passed the night in the open plain, without fire or food. On
their way fhey had seen two springs of water, one of which appeared
capable of affording a copious supply at all seasons. At day
break the next morning they continued to follow the track, surprised
at being led by it so far; and at length came up with the flock, at
some distance beyond our last station at Knegt’s Fountain. That
they were not discovered and carried off by the Bushmen, or devoured
in the night by beasts of prey, was a circumstance to be attributed
only to singular good fortune.
These two men had seen nothing of the natives during the whole
time; and as none, excepting the few already mentioned, came near
us, on our journey from Klaarwater to the northern limits of their
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