"Um!" he said, in token of assent; and upon my calling Sandho to my side Joeboy helped me to mount, securing the satchel to my saddle in obedience to my orders; and, making for Echo Nek, we went steadily on, my intention being to get through the pass and some distance on the other side towards the Natal border before dark. "We shall know the road better there, Joeboy," I said after we had been walking some time; "it all seems strange to me here." "Joeboy know," he said. "What! the way about here?" I said, in surprise. "When did you come?" "Long while," he replied. "Lost bullock. Come here." "Oh!"--then I remembered. "Of course. You were gone a fortnight." "Um!" said Joeboy. "And my father thought you had run away, and that we should never see you again." "How Joeboy run away? Bullock no run. Run other way." "Yes," I said, laughing; "they are always ready to go in the wrong direction. Do you know"--I was going to say something about the rising of one of the rivers up in the mountains somewhere near, but I stopped short, for my companion suddenly darted to Sandho's head and pressed him sidewise towards a pile of rocks which offered plenty of shelter from anything in front. "What is it, Joeboy?" I said. "A good shot at something?" For answer he pointed upward at the rocks beside the pass which went by the name of Echo Nek--the place which we had nearly reached, this great gap in the mountains being the only spot for many miles on either side where a horse could cross. As to wagons, a far greater detour was necessary to find a road. I looked in the direction he pointed out, but for some moments I could see nothing. Then a faint gleam from something moving gave me warning of what had taken place, and directly after I caught sight of the bearer of the rifle from whose barrel the sunlight had flashed. CHAPTER TEN. RUNNING THE GAUNTLET. Under other circumstances I should have leaped down from my horse and crouched; but my leg had grown still and cold, so I sat perfectly motionless, trying to make out some plan of action I might follow out. To my dismay, the Boers had been quicker than I had given them credit for, and had, so to speak, shut the principal gate in the huge wall which in that particular part closed in their country from Natal. The man I had seen was doubtless one of their outposts, and for aught I knew to the contrary the pass might be held by hundreds of the sturdy burghers, every man a born rifleman. To go back by the way I came meant running into the arms of those who were scouring the country to retake me, while to make a detour and get round to the other side of the opening meant getting farther into the Boer country, the more populous part, where their troops would for certain now be on the move. It seemed there was no going backward; and upon turning to look at Joeboy he showed he was of the same opinion. "No go back," he said; "all Boer. Wait till sun gone."