Only straining my eyes, presently I thought that about a hundred yards down the slope beneath us in the dim light I caught sight of ghostlike figures flitting from tree to tree; also that these figures were drawing nearer.
"Look out!" I said to Robertson on my right, "I believe they are coming." "Man," he answered sternly, "I hope so, for whom else have I wanted to meet all these days ?" Now the figures vanished into a little fold of the ground.

A minute or so later they re-appeared upon its hither side where such light as there was from the fading stars and the gathering dawn fell full upon them, for here were no trees.

I looked and a thrill of horror went through me, for with one glance I recognised that these were _not the men whom we had been following_.

To begin with, there were many more of them, quite a hundred, I should think, also they had painted shields, wore feathers in their hair, and generally so far as I could judge, seemed to be fat and fresh.
"We have been led into an ambush," I said first in Zulu to Umslopogaas immediately in front, and then in English to Robertson.
"If so, man, we must just do the best we can," answered the latter, "but God help my poor daughter, for those other devils will have taken her away, leaving their brethren to make an end of us." "It is so, Macumazahn," broke in Umslopogaas.

"Well, whatever the end of it, we shall have a better fight.