The police and the commandos had been kept very secret, and, besides, they were moving on the high veld and out of the ken of the tribes.

Natives, he told me, were not good scouts so far as white man's work was concerned, for they did not understand the meaning of what we did.

On the other hand, his own native scouts brought him pretty accurate tidings of any Kaffir movements.

He thought that all the bush country of the plain would be closely watched, and that no one would get through without some kind of pass.

But he thought also that the storekeeper might be an exception, for his presence would give rise to no suspicions.