As it was, finding that they were losing too heavily from our fire, they retreated in a hurry, leaving their dead behind them, and even a wounded man who was clinging to a rock.  He, poor wretch, was in mortal terror lest we should shoot him again, which I had not the heart to do, although as his leg was shattered above the knee by an Express bullet, it might have been true kindness.  Again and again he called out for mercy, saying that he only attacked us because his chief, who had been warned of our coming “by the White Man,” ordered him to take our guns and cattle.

“What white man?” I shouted.  “Speak or I shoot.”

There was no answer, for at this moment he fainted from loss of blood and vanished beneath the water.  Then another Basuto, I suppose he was their captain, but do not know for he was hidden in some bushes, called out—­

“Do not think that you shall escape, White Men.  There are many more of our people coming, and we will kill you in the night when you cannot see to shoot us.”

At this moment, too, Footsack shouted that the wagon was inspanned and ready.  Now I hesitated what to do.  If we made for the wagon, which must be very slowly because of Anscombe’s wounded foot, we had to cross seventy or eighty yards of rising ground almost devoid of cover.  If, on the other hand, we stayed where we were till nightfall a shot might catch one of us, or other Basutos might arrive and rush us.  There was also a third possibility, that our terrified servants might trek off and leave us in order to save their own lives, which verily I believe they would have done, not being of Zulu blood.  I put the problem to Anscombe, who shook his head and looked at his foot.  Then he produced a lucky penny which he carried in his pocket and said—­

“Let us invoke the Fates.  Heads we run like heroes; tails we stay here like heroes,” and he spun the penny, while I stared at him open-mouthed and not without admiration.

Never, I thought to myself, had this primitive method of cutting a gordian knot been resorted to in such strange and urgent circumstances.

“Heads it is!” he said coolly.  “Now, my boy, do you run and I’ll crawl after you.  If I don’t arrive, you know my people’s address, and I bequeath to you all my African belongings in memory of a most pleasant trip.”

“Don’t play the fool,” I replied sternly.  “Come, put your right arm round my neck and hop on your left leg as you never hopped before.”

Then we started, and really our transit was quite lively, for all those Basutos began what for them was rapid firing.  I think, however, that their best shots must have fallen, for not a bullet touched us, although before we got out of their range one or two went very near.

“There,” said Anscombe, as a last amazing hop brought him to the wagon rail, “there, you see how wise it is give Providence a chance sometimes.”

“In the shape of a lucky penny,” I grumbled as I hoisted him up.