to catch a team of six mules and two horses turned out to graze on the
veldt; it is endless, however, when they are as frightened of their
drivers as ours appeared to be. At length they were collected and we
made a start, and then our adventures began. First the leader, a white
horse, jibbed. Off jumped the Kaffir coachman, and commenced hammering
the poor brute unmercifully over head, ears, and body, with what they
called in Africa the _shambok_.[12] In consequence the team suddenly
started off, but the long whip, left on the carriage roof, slipped down,
and was broken in two by the wheel passing over it. Anyone who has
driven behind mules knows how absolutely powerless the Jehu is without a
long whip; so here we were face to face with a real misfortune:
increasing darkness, jibbing leaders, no whip, and fifteen sandy miles
to traverse before dinner-time. With every sort of ejaculation and yell,
and a perfect rain of blows with the _shambok_ from the Kaffir still on
foot, we lurched forward at a gallop, escaping by a hair's-breadth
another gold-prospector's trench. But the same leader jibbed again after
another mile. I must admit he was a most irritating brute, whose
obstinacy had been increased by the cruelty of the driver. It was now
decided to put him in the "wheel," where he would be obliged to do his
work. We crawled on again till our white friend literally threw himself
down. I have related this incident to show how cruel Kaffirs can be, for
now the rage of the evil-looking driver burst forth. He not only
hammered the prostrate horse to any extent, but then made the rest of
the team pull on, so as to drag him along on his side. Of course this
could not be allowed, and Major ---- jumped out and commanded him to
desist, take out the useless horse, and tie him behind. At first the
Kaffir was very mutinous, and it was only when a stick was laid
threateningly across his back that he sulkily complied, looking the
while as if he would like to murder the man he was forced to obey. One
hears so much nowadays of the black population having equal rights with