I told them that I enjoyed camping out for a few days at a time in such country for sketching and shooting purposes.  I asked as to the possibilities of hiring tents and mules to carry them, and a good muleteer was recommended to me, who knew the whole of the countryside, and could tell me all the likely spots that there were for camping grounds.

Eventually I engaged him to take me for a day or two in exploring the neighbourhood, with a view to fixing on camping grounds and seeing the view.  We went for a considerable distance along a splendid high road which led up into the mountains.  As we got into the high parts he suggested that we should leave the road and clamber down into the ravine, along which we could go for some distance and then reascend and rejoin the road higher up.

He then explained that this was a military road, and that it would be desirable to leave it for a space in order to avoid the guard-house upon it, where a sentry was posted with orders to allow no one beyond that point.

We successfully evaded the guard-house according to his direction, and eventually found ourselves on the road again, in a position well up towards the top of the ridge; but on our left as we progressed up the road was a steep minor ridge which we presently proceeded to ascend.

When we were near the top he said to me with a knowing grin:—­

“Now if you look over there, you will see before you exactly what you want.”

And as I looked over I found below me one of the new forts.  It was exactly what I wanted to see spread before my eyes like a map.  I simply had to take a bird’s-eye view of it to get its complete plan.

Beyond it on another ridge lay another fort, and almost behind me I could see part of the third, while beyond and above were still more forts up on the heights.  I had got into a regular nest of them.  My position on the ridge gave me a splendid view of mountains, and referring to them I said:—­

“Yes, indeed, you have brought me to exactly the right spot.”

But he grinned again maliciously, pointing down to the fort, and said:—­

“Yes, but that is the best view of all, I think.”

He seemed to grasp my intentions most fully.  Far below the forts lay the straits which they were designed to protect for the vessels steaming through them.  I started at once to make a sketch of the panorama, carefully omitting that ground where the forts lay, partly in order to disarm my friend’s suspicions, and partly to protect me in the event of my arrest.

Presently my companion volunteered to go down to the fort and bring up his brother, who, he said, was a gunner stationed there, and could give me every detail that I could wish about their guns, etc.

This sounded almost too good to be true, but with the greatest indifference I said I should be glad to see him, and off went my friend.  The moment that he was out of sight I took care to move off into a neighbouring kopje where I could hide myself in case of his bringing up a force of men to capture me.