Between Snow and Fire — page 121: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

dy b allets aie bits of che leg be a close. 3 + 1 ] + ‘ Now, boys!” cried Slielton. cattle, but don’t separate more than to that extent.” And in furtherance of this injunction the now divided force rode off as hard as it could go, to head the animals back—stum- bling among stones, crashing through bushes or flying over the same—on they dashed, helter-skelter, hardly knowing at times how they kept their saddles. Amid much shouting and whistling the terrified creatures were at last turned. Down, the defile they rushed—eyes rolling and horns clashing, trampling to pulp the dead or helpless bodies of some of their former drivers, who ‘had been shot in the earlier stages of the conflict. It was an indescribable scene—the dappled, many-coloured hides flash- ing in the sun as the immense herd surged furiously down that wild pass. And mingling with the shouting and con- fusion, and the terrified lowing of the cattle half-frenzied with the sight and smell of blood—the overhanging cliffs echoed back in sharper tones the “ crack-crack ”’ of the rifles of the Kaffirs, who, well under cover themselves, kept up a continuous, but luckily ineffective, fire upon the patrol. Suddenly a dark form rose up in front of the horsemen. Springing like a cat the savage made a swift stab at the breast of his intended victim, who swerved quickly, but not quickly enough, and the blade of the assegai descended, in- flicting an ugly wound in the man’s side. Dropping to the ground again, the daring assailant ducked in time to avoid the revolver bullet aimed at him, and gliding in among the fleeing cattle, escaped before the infuriated frontiersman could get in another shot. So quickly did it all take place that, except the wounded man himself, hardly anybody knew what had happened. “Hurt, Thompson?” sung out Hoste, seeing that the man looked rather pale. “No. Nothin’ to speak of, at least. see to it by and by.” As he spoke the horse of another man plunged and then fell heavily forward. The poor beast had been mortally stricken by one of the enemy’s missiles, and would never rise again. The dismounted man ran alongside of a com- rade, holding on by the stirrup of the latter, Time enough to Uf ED * je , a * Half of you come with | me—and Carhayes, you take the other half and collect the gan to whistfe sncomforetie . * *?) -