Then we saw a leaf lying about ten yards off the track--there were no trees for miles, but there were, we knew, trees of this kind at a village 15 miles distant, in the direction from which the tracks led.

Probably, then, these women had come from that village, bringing the leaf with them, and had gone to the hills.

On picking up the leaf, it was damp and smelled of native beer.

So we guessed that according to the custom of these people they had been carrying pots of native beer on their heads, the mouths of the pots being stopped with bunches of leaves.
One of these leaves had fallen out; but we found it ten yards off the track, which showed that at the time it fell a wind had been blowing.
There was no wind now, but there had been about five A.M., and it was now nearly seven.

So we read from these signs that a party of women had brought beer during the night from the village 15 miles distant, and had taken it to the enemy on the hills, arriving there about six o'clock.