"The Kafirs have walked off the whole of the _bonte_ span and three
horses," went on Brian.
"Is that all?" I said, intensely relieved.
"That all? Man alive! but those are our best trek oxen. A full span of
sixteen. `That all'!"
"Oh, I don't mean it that way. My first thought was that your father
was worse. You know how seedy he was this evening."
"I see!" was the answer. "No, he's no worse--fast asleep, in fact. I
wouldn't disturb him about this, but--Holt, we must go after them at
once."
"Go after who?" interrupted Trask, sitting up and yawning, for we had
been talking in a low tone and he had not awoke at once. "What's the
row, anyhow?"
Brian repeated what he had just been telling me. "The cheek of the
brutes!" he went on. "Mind, this thing was done in broad daylight. I
suppose they thought that as it was Sunday none of us would be about.
Dumela came upon the fresh spoor as he was out looking after that sick
cow down in the kloof by Aasvogel Krautz. They simply collected them,
and swept off the lot. In broad daylight, too."
"I'm your man, Matterson," said Trask, briskly, having nearly got into
his clothes. "I'll take a hand in this game."
"Thanks. I was going to ask you. George and Kleinbooi are getting up
the horses now. We must start as soon as ever they are here."
"What gees have the niggers taken, Brian?" I asked.
"Why, Beryl's horse, Meerkat, for one, the bay colt, and the third's
uncertain."
Beryl's horse! Here was an additional incentive to the undertaking, I
thought.
"Dumela spoored them easily to Sand Drift," went on Brian, "and then it
got too dark. If the old fool had come straight back at once and told
us, we should have saved several hours; but not he. One of Stoffel
Pexter's people told him they'd seen three mounted Kafirs and two on
foot go through just above the drift with a span of large _bonte_ oxen.
So we'd better go straight there and start on the spoor from there. One
thing, we can't miss it. It's as broad as a waggon road."
"Think they'll show fight if we come up with them, Brian?" I said.
"Don't know. We'll take our guns in case of accidents. John Kafir has
more respect for an armed crowd than for an unarmed one. Now--if you
fellows are ready, we'll lose no time getting under way. They are
bringing up the horses now," as a trampling was heard without. "Put a
few extra cartridges in your pocket, Holt, while I find a shooter for
Trask."