At an agreed time Umatula awoke me to take his turn of rest, while I watched--an employment I scarcely felt up to, being so extremely drowsy that, fearing to fall off in slumber, I got up, and drawing the fire together supplied it with fresh fuel; then sitting down, I tried to keep myself awake by imagining the surprise my return would create, and how all the papers would be full of the history of the two shipwrecked mariners who had spent over a year among the almost unknown tribes of Caffraria. But all these manoeuvres could not prevent my heavy eyelids from closing, and I fancy I must have actually dozed off, when I was suddenly aroused by vague consciousness that the place was growing much lighter. We had encamped upon a hillside, and on looking up I perceived the sky, over the tree tops in the direction of the plains, to be of a light yellow glow. My first movement was to arouse my companions, but recollecting how tired they must be, I determined before doing so to enquire a little further into the cause, as it might be some celestial phenomenon which in a moment would disappear, though to me it had the same appearance as a large fire would have in England. For this purpose I quickly mounted higher up the hill, and scaling a rocky projection turned and gazed back. Heavens! what a sight met my view--grandly beautiful, but how awful! Some distance off the whole plain before me was covered by a vast sheet of fire, which leaped and lapped with its forked tongues as it rushed onward. The entire distance appeared in flames--as if the end of the world had come. With the speed of consternation I dashed back to my companions, and shouted in their ears, "Up, up! for heaven's sake; be quick! The bush is on fire, and the flames are coming in our direction." The words acted like magic; both were instantly on their feet, and following me to my previous post of inspection. No sooner had Umatula discovered the direction of the fire, which each moment was increasing in rapidity, than shouldering the skins, he bade us follow him; for we laid right in the fierce element's track, and did it reach us it would be certain death. "We must get to yonder rock," he said, pointing to one some distance off, "on the top of it we may perhaps be safe." With as much speed as we could muster we instantly followed the swift Kaffir, and with hands and legs torn by the strong thorns of the cacti bushes succeeded in reaching the summit of the rock where, throwing ourselves down, breathless with our haste, we contemplated the spreading conflagration. If it was grand before, it was terribly so now, for it covered the whole plain and was rushing up the hillside, the flames curling into the air like things of life, leaping from bush to bush, springing up in spiral columns to the skies, and destroying all signs of vegetation in its path.