moreover, several most important and invaluable pieces of information: first, that the poor king was almost deserted; secondly, that he had been obliged to abandon his horses; and, thirdly, that he was ill and footsore. From Tuesday, the 19th, until Wednesday, the 27th, long marches were incessant, and to describe the adventures that befell this small party would be merely a repetition of those already told. The arrival of Jantzi and the timely reinforcements of Basutos enabled Lord Gifford to detach parties and hem in the fugitive monarch in a manner he could not have effected with only nine men. It was now almost a point of honour with Gifford that his men should succeed in capturing the king after the way in which Barrow had entrusted the pursuit to him; and although he knew that the king was pursued by Barton's Native Infantry, three companies of the 57th, and 150 of Marter's Dragoons, he still felt confident that his party alone were upon the right track. Marter he had heard had gone back after losing three of his horses by lions in the district through which he had passed; and his only fear now was that the Mounted Police would take the wind out of his sails by a rapid move from the Transvaal, and capture the king should he attempt to escape towards the north. This he considered was not improbable, as he had news from Villiers up to the 12th, saying that the tribes in his neighbourhood were most unfriendly, and anxious to afford help to the king. Indeed they had attempted an attack upon the mixed force organized by Villiers, but had been easily beaten off. The movements of Gifford's party from the 20th (Wednesday) up to the 26th, were not of special interest. They marched and countermarched, the king never far in front, but always managing to keep thirty or forty miles between himself and them, and their information sometimes right and sometimes wrong, according to the feelings of the natives whom they questioned. On the 25th they had tolerably authentic information that the king had decided to come in to Lord Gifford, and surrender. Dabulamanzi, however, a brave soldier although a double-dyed and scheming traitor, wrote or sent to the king, telling him the English would hang or shoot him if he surrendered. Dabulamanzi's object was most transparent. He hoped the king might be killed or die in the wilds of starvation, as then he might possibly be made the English nominee to the throne.