About midday they reached the large military kraal where it was thought probable the king might have stopped. His guides had served him with fidelity, and so Lord Gifford promised to reward them at headquarters with a present of cattle to each. These lads had made themselves great favourites with the men, who seemed quite to fraternize with them. Their delight was unbounded when the officers came across and killed with their rifles any description of game, and they seemed wonderfully impressed with the accuracy of the shooting. They said it had been currently reported in their neighbourhood that the king was lame and could not travel fast, and that his followers were leaving him every day. Just before reaching the kraal one of the lads, an intelligent, sharp little fellow, as he was running a few yards in front of the horses, pointed out to Lord Gifford the track of cattle leading away to the bush on the right. They halted and had a consultation; but it was decided not to follow these tracks, but to continue on southwards, their object being, if possible, to hem in the king, and drive him on towards the pickets of Barrow's party or the scouts of General Clarke, who had four companies of infantry, the headquarters of the King's Dragoon Guards, and a number of irregulars (cavalry and infantry) encamped at the drift of the Black Umvolosi. As they knew that Clarke's patrols were scouring the country to the north and east, they had no fear of the king's escape in that direction. But little information was gained at the big kraal, where they off-saddled for two hours, and fed their rather overworked mounts. At three o'clock they again started and now made a bend towards Entonjaneni, as by this course it was considered they would have the best chance of intercepting the king in his attempt to cut through the cordon now drawn around him. The range of hills which they now had on their right were the Umyati. They are a continuation of the Ngome mountains, which shoot out from the Lebombo towards the west, and they form a portion of the ridge bordering the southern or right bank of the Black Umvolosi.