"
There was a general chorus of agreement.
"Did they get near you, Chris?"
"Not within about four hundred yards. They got it so hot at first that
they dismounted and took to the rocks; they pushed on for a bit, and if
the whole hillside had been covered with boulders we might have had some
sharp fighting, but there were some open spaces to be crossed, and after
getting over two or three of them they found it safer to lie as close as
rabbits. For aught we know they are there still."
They travelled quietly till sunset, and then halted in an open valley
where there was water and good grass. Half the company kept watch by
turns, being posted with their horses some half a mile out in the
country, taking the animals with them not only because they could fall
back more quickly, but because they knew the horses would hear any
approaching sound long before their masters were able to do so, and
would evince their uneasiness unmistakably. There was, however, no
alarm, and two days later, travelling by easy stages, they arrived at
Estcourt, where their arrival with so large a number of cattle created
quite a sensation. They at once put up a notice at the post-office, that
all persons who had been raided by the Boers could come and inspect the
herd and take all animals bearing their brand.
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