"You won't want to walk into King Williamstown in that guise," he said; "therefore you had best put your uniform into the valise, and tell the man to meet you at any point you like--I should say the nearer to the bush the better; for if you succeed in getting the young lady out of these rascals' clutches you may be pursued, and, if your horse is handy, may succeed in getting her away, when you would otherwise be soon overtaken." Ronald thankfully accepted the suggestion, for he saw that it might indeed be of vital importance to him to have his horse ready at hand. With a last wave of his hand he rode off, the chief and his six companions trotting alongside. The sun had set an hour when they reached the spot at which the chief had directed his two followers to meet him. They had not yet arrived. "Do you think they will be sure to be able to find the place?" Ronald asked the chief. "A Fingo never loses his way," the chief replied. "Find his way in dark, all same as day." In spite of the chief's assurance, Ronald was fidgety and anxious. He wrapped a blanket round him, and walked restlessly up and down. It was nearly an hour before the chief, who, with his companions, had thrown himself down and lighted a pipe, which passed from hand to hand, said suddenly: "One man come!" Ronald listened intently, but could hear nothing. A moment later a dark figure came up. Kreta at once questioned him, and a long conversation took place between them. "What is he saying, chief? What is he saying?" Ronald broke in impatiently several times; but it was not until the man had finished that the chief translated. "White girl alive, incos, the other two women alive, but not live long, torture them bad. Going to take girl to Macomo." "Thank God for that," Ronald exclaimed, fervently, for he had all day been tormented with the fear that Mary Armstrong might have met with her fate directly she was carried away. "Where are they going to take her?" "A lot of them go off to-night; go straight to Amatolas; take her with them." "How many, Kreta; will there be any chance of attacking them on the way?" The chief asked a question of his messenger. "Heaps of them," he said to Ronald, for the natives are incapable of counting beyond very low figures. "Too many; no chance to attack them; must follow behind. They show us the way." "But how do we know whereabouts they will come out of the wood, Kreta? It's miles long; while we are watching at one place, they may be off in another." "That's so, incos; no use to watch the wood. We must go on to the Great Fish River. Only two places where they can ford it--Double Drift and Cornetjies Drift, one hour's walk apart. Put half one place, half the other; then when they pass, follow after and send messengers to fetch up others." "That will do very well, chief; that's a capital idea of yours. You are sure that there's no other way they can go?"