The truth is, I had been frightened, and my pride was sore about it.

It grew very hot, the sand rose and choked me, the mopani trees with their dull green wearied me, the 'Kaffir queens' and jays and rollers which flew about the path seemed to be there to mock me.

About half-way home I found a boy and two horses, and roundly I cursed him.

It seemed that my pony had returned right enough, and the boy had been sent to fetch me.

He had got half-way before sunset the night before, and there he had stayed.