Then came another trouble: the darkness was greater than ever. It was a cloak, certainly, for our proceedings; but there was not a star visible to guide us in our course towards the old stronghold. "Think we're going right?" I asked again and again. "Um? Joeboy think so," he always replied. "Wait till light come. Soon know then." Words of wisdom these, of course; but though we kept on in what we believed a straight line for our goal, the line we were taking might be right away from the camp, or we might be proceeding in a curve which would bring us within easy reach of the enemy--perhaps as near as when we started. Truly we were in the dark; and as the air grew colder towards daybreak, everything looked, if possible, blacker still. "Morrow morning," said Joeboy, suddenly coming back to where I trudged alongside one of the wagons, whose drivers appeared to be all asleep. I looked in the direction he indicated, and there was a faint dawn low down on the horizon. "Then we're going wrong, Joeboy," I said; "that's the east." "Um!" he said. "Too much that way. Going right now." I looked back in the direction of the Boer camp, but nothing was visible there. It seemed as if the darkness lay like a cloud upon the earth; but, upon turning again to look in the way the heads of the oxen were pointed, I could see what looked like a hillock in the distance. Fixing my eyes upon it, I could gradually see it more distinctly, and in a few minutes' time made out that what had seemed like one hillock was really two--the one natural, the other artificial: in other words, the pile of ironstone and granite in one case, the built-up stronghold in the other. "Joeboy," I said, beckoning him to one side after a furtive glance at the black foreloper, "we're a long way off, and the Boers will miss the wagons and see us soon." "Um? Yes," he said coolly. "Do you think that you can get the bullocks to go faster?" "Um? No," he said. "Must go like this." "But the Boers will come after us as soon as they see us." "Um? Yes; but can't see us yet. When Doppie see us Boss Denham see us too, and come along o' fighting boys." "Yes; I had half-forgotten that," I replied. Not thinking of anything more to say, I trudged on. At last, as the light grew stronger, Joeboy turned to me to say: "Boss Val see Doppie now?" I looked back in the direction of the enemy's lines and shaded my eyes; but nothing was discernible. "I can't see them yet," I said. "Um? No. Joeboy can. Can't see a wagons yet." "They can't see the wagons?" I cried. "How do you know?" "Come on horses after us," he said. "Gallop fast." "Of course," I replied, and looked anxiously at our great, lumbering prizes, wishing I could do something to hurry the bullocks on; but wishing was vain, and I knew all the time it would be madness to attempt to hasten the animals' pace, and likely only to end in disaster.