“Which means that the only thing to do is to stay until the water runs down,” I said to Anscombe, for the two women, tired out, were asleep.

“I suppose so,” he answered, “unless those Basutos—­”

I looked back up the long slope down which we had come and saw no one.  Then I raised myself in my stirrups and looked along another track that joined the road just here, leading from the bush-veld, as ours led from the high-veld.  The sun was rising now, dispersing the mist that hung about the trees after the wet.  Searching among these with my eyes, presently I perceived the light gleaming upon what I knew must be the points of spears projecting above the level of the ground vapour.

“Those devils are after us by the lower road,” I said to Anscombe, adding, “I heard them pass the old cattle kraal last night.  They followed our spoor over the edge of the hill, but in the dark lost it among the stones.”

He whistled and asked what was to be done.

“That is for you to decide,” I answered.  “For my part I’d rather risk the river than the Basutos,” and I looked at the slumbering Heda.

“Can we bolt back the way we came, Allan?”

“The horses are very spent and we might meet more Basutos,” and again I looked at Heda.

“A hard choice, Allan.  It is wonderful how women complicate everything in life, because they are life, I suppose.”  He thought a moment and went on, “Let’s try the river.  If we fail, it will be soon over, and it is better to drown than be speared.”

“Or be kept alive by savages who hate us,” I exclaimed, with my eyes still fixed upon Heda.

Then I got to business.  There were hide riems on the bridles of the leaders.  I undid these and knotted their loose ends firmly together.  To them I made fast the riem of my own mare, slipping a loop I tied in it, over my right hand and saying—­

“Now I will go first, leading the horses.  Do you drive after me for all you are worth, even if they are swept off their feet.  I can trust my beast to swim straight, and being a mare, I hope that the horses will follow her as they have done all night.  Wake up Heda and Kaatje.”

He nodded, and looking very pale, said—­

“Heda my dear, I am sorry to disturb you, but we have to get over a river with a rough bottom, so you and Kaatje must hang on and sit tight.  Don’t be frightened, you are as safe as a church.”

“God forgive him for that lie,” thought I to myself as, having tightened the girths, I mounted my mare.  Then gripping the riem I kicked the beast to a canter, Anscombe flogging up the team as we swung down the bank to the edge of the foaming torrent, on the further side of which the Swazis shouted and gesticulated to us to go back.

We were in it now, for, as I had hoped, the horses followed the mare without hesitation.  For the first twenty yards or so all went well, I heading up the stream.  Then suddenly I felt that the mare was swimming.