Bad as they knew Pereira to be, they could not believe that he was guilty of so black a crime.
About a week later the rest of us started from Marais's camp, a place that, notwithstanding the sadness of many of its associations, I confess I left with some regret.

The trek before us, although not so very long, was of an extremely perilous nature.

We had to pass through about two hundred miles of country of which all we knew was that its inhabitants were the Amatonga and other savage tribes.

Here I should explain that after much discussion we had abandoned the idea of retracing the route followed by Marais on his ill-fated journey towards Delagoa.
Had we taken this it would have involved our crossing the terrible Lobombo Mountains, over which it was doubtful whether our light cattle could drag the wagons.

Moreover, the country beyond the mountains was said to be very bare of game and also of Kaffirs, so that food might be lacking.