Several things came to aid us.

As I have said, we of the centre were not marching in close ranks, but in a loose column, and often it was possible by taking a short cut on rough ground to join the column some distance ahead.

There was a vlei, too, which many circumvented, but we swam, and this helped our lead.

In a couple of hours we were so near the priest's litter that I could have easily tossed a cricket ball on the head of Henriques who rode beside it.
Very soon the twilight of the winter day began to fall.

The far hills grew pink and mulberry in the sunset, and strange shadows stole over the bush.