The Bush BoysHistory and Adventures of a Cape Farmer and his Family

By Captain Mayne Reid________________________________________________________________________This is not quite your usual style of book by Mayne Reid. We are usedto books about the Mexican War, and similar topics, books where thereare plenty of words and expressions in Mexican-Spanish. In this bookthere are equally plenty of words and expressions in Africaans, thevariety of Dutch spoken originally by the Boers (Boors in this book), the Dutch farmers. 

The book is a very good introduction to the animals, both mammals andbirds, of South Africa. The snakes get a mention, too. Several verytense moments are built up, and you will be wondering right up to thevery last moment how whoever is involved in the story, is going to getout of the situation. Recommended as perhaps one of the best books bythis prolific author. NH________________________________________________________________________

THE BUSH BOYSHISTORY AND ADVENTURES OF A CAPE FARMER AND HIS FAMILY

BY CAPTAIN MAYNE REID

CHAPTER ONE. 

THE BOORS. 

Hendrik Von Bloom was a _boor_. 

My young English reader, do not suppose that I mean any disrespect toMynheer Von Bloom, by calling him a "boor. " In our good Cape colony a"boor" is a farmer. It is no reproach to be called a farmer. Von Bloomwas one--a Dutch farmer of the Cape--a boor. 

The boors of the Cape colony have figured very considerably in modernhistory. Although naturally a people inclined to peace, they have beenforced into various wars, both with native Africans and Europeans; andin these wars they have acquitted themselves admirably, and given proofsthat a pacific people when need be can fight just as well as those whoare continually exulting in the ruffian glory of the soldier. 

But the boors have been accused of cruelty in their wars--especiallythose carried on against the native races. In an abstract point of viewthe accusation might appear just. But when we come to consider theprovocation, received at the hands of these savage enemies, we learn tolook more leniently upon the conduct of the Cape Dutch. It is true theyreduced the yellow Hottentots to a state of slavery; but at that sametime, we, the English, were transporting ship-loads of black Guineamenacross the Atlantic, while the Spaniards and Portuguese were binding theRed men of America in fetters as tight and hard. 

Another point to be considered is the character of the natives with whomthe Dutch boors had to deal. The keenest cruelty inflicted upon them bythe colonists was mercy, compared with the treatment which these savageshad to bear at the hands of their own despots. 

This does not justify the Dutch for having reduced the Hottentots to astate of slavery; but, all circumstances considered, there is no one ofthe maritime nations who can gracefully accuse them of cruelty. Intheir dealings with the aborigines of the Cape, they have had to do withsavages of a most wicked and degraded stamp; and the history ofcolonisation, under such circumstances, could not be otherwise then fullof unpleasant episodes. 

Young reader, I could easily defend the conduct of the boors of Capecolony, but I have not space here. I can only give you my opinion; andthat is, that they are a brave, strong, healthy, moral, peace-loving, industrious race--lovers of truth, and friends to republican freedom--inshort, a noble race of men. 

Is it likely, then, when I called Hendrik Von Bloom a boor, that I meanthim any disrespect? Quite the contrary. 

But Mynheer Hendrik had not always been a boor. He could boast of asomewhat higher condition--that is, he could boast of a better educationthan the mere Cape farmer usually possesses, as well as some experiencein wielding the sword. He was not a native of the colony, but of themother country; and he had found his way to the Cape not as a pooradventurer seeking his fortune, but as an officer in a Dutch regimentthen stationed there. 

His soldier-service in the colony was not of long duration. A certaincherry-cheeked, flaxen-haired Gertrude--the daughter of a rich boor--hadtaken a liking to the young lieutenant; and he in his turn became vastlyfond of her. The consequence was, that they got married. Gertrude'sfather dying shortly after, the large farm, with its full stock ofhorses, and Hottentots, broad-tailed sheep, and long-horned oxen, becamehers. This was an inducement for her soldier-husband to lay down thesword and turn "vee-boor, " or stock farmer, which he consequently did. 

These incidents occurred many years previous to the English becomingmasters of the Cape colony. When that event came to pass, Hendrik VonBloom was already a man of influence in the colony and "field-cornet" ofhis district, which lay in the beautiful county of Graaf Reinet. He wasthen a widower, the father of a small family. The wife whom he hadfondly loved, --the cherry-cheeked, flaxen-haired Gertrude--no longerlived. 

History will tell you how the Dutch colonists, discontented with Englishrule, rebelled against it. The ex-lieutenant and field-cornet was oneof the most prominent among these rebels. History will also tell youhow the rebellion was put down; and how several of those compromisedwere brought to execution. Von Bloom escaped by flight; but his fineproperty in the Graaf Reinet was confiscated and given to another. 

Many years after we find him living in a remote district beyond thegreat Orange River, leading the life of a "trek-boor, "--that is, anomade farmer, who has no fixed or permanent abode, but moves with hisflocks from place to place, wherever good pastures and water may tempthim. 

From about this time dates my knowledge of the field-cornet and hisfamily. Of his history previous to this I have stated all I know, butfor a period of many years after I am more minutely acquainted with it. Most of its details I received from the lips of his own son, I wasgreatly interested, and indeed instructed, by them. They were my firstlessons in _African zoology_. 

Believing, boy reader, that they might also instruct and interest you, Ihere lay them before you. You are not to regard them as merelyfanciful. The descriptions of the wild creatures that play their partsin this little history, as well as the acts, habits, and instinctsassigned to them, you may regard as true to Nature. Young Von Bloom wasa student of Nature, and you may depend upon the fidelity of hisdescriptions. 

Disgusted with politics, the field-cornet now dwelt on the remotefrontier--in fact, beyond the frontier, for the nearest settlement wasan hundred miles off. His "kraal" was in a district bordering the greatKalihari desert--the Saara of Southern Africa. The region around, forhundreds of miles, was uninhabited, for the thinly-scattered, half-humanBushmen who dwelt within its limits, hardly deserved the name ofinhabitants any more than the wild beasts that howled around them. 

I have said that Von Bloom now followed the occupation of a "trek-boor. "Farming in the Cape colony consists principally in the rearing ofhorses, cattle, sheep, and goats; and these animals form the wealth ofthe boor. But the stock of our field-cornet was now a very small one. The proscription had swept away all his wealth, and he had not beenfortunate in his first essays as a nomade grazier. The emancipationlaw, passed by the British Government, extended not only to the Negroesof the West India Islands, but also to the Hottentots of the Cape; andthe result of it was that the servants of Mynheer Von Bloom had desertedhim. His cattle, no longer properly cared for, had strayed off. Someof them fell a prey to wild beasts--some died of the _murrain_. Hishorses, too, were decimated by that mysterious disease of SouthernAfrica, the "horse-sickness;" while his sheep and goats were continuallybeing attacked and diminished in numbers by the earth-wolf, the wildhound, and the hyena. A series of losses had he suffered until hishorses, oxen, sheep, and goats, scarce counted altogether an hundredhead. A very small stock for a vee-boor, or South African grazier. 

Withal our field-cornet was not unhappy. He looked around upon histhree brave sons--Hans, Hendrik, and Jan. He looked upon hischerry-cheeked, flaxen-haired daughter, Gertrude, the very type andimage of what her mother had been. From these he drew the hope of ahappier future. 

His two eldest boys were already helps to him in his daily occupations;the youngest would soon be so likewise. In Gertrude, --or "Truey, " asshe was endearingly styled, --he would soon have a capital housekeeper. He was not unhappy therefore; and if an occasional sigh escaped him, itwas when the face of little Truey recalled the memory of that Gertrudewho was now in heaven. 

But Hendrik Von Bloom was not the man to despair. Disappointments hadnot succeeded in causing his spirits to droop. He only applied himselfmore ardently to the task of once more building up his fortune. 

For himself he had no ambition to be rich. He would have been contentedwith the simple life he was leading, and would have cared but little toincrease his wealth. But other considerations weighed upon his mind--the future of his little family. He could not suffer his children togrow up in the midst of the wild plains without education. 

No; they must one day return to the abodes of men, to act their part inthe drama of social and civilised life. This was his design. 

But how was this design to be accomplished? Though his so-called act of_treason_ had been pardoned, and he was now free to return within thelimits of the colony, he was ill prepared for such a purpose. His poorwasted stock would not suffice to set him up within the settlements. Itwould scarce keep him a month. To return would be to return a beggar!

Reflections of this kind sometimes gave him anxiety. But they alsoadded energy to his disposition, and rendered him more eager to overcomethe obstacles before him. 

During the present year he had been very industrious. In order that hiscattle should be provided for in the season of winter he had planted alarge quantity of maize and buckwheat, and now the crops of both were inthe most prosperous condition. His garden, too, smiled, and promised aprofusion of fruits, and melons, and kitchen vegetables. In short, thelittle homestead where he had fixed himself for a time, was a miniatureoasis; and he rejoiced day after day, as his eyes rested upon theripening aspect around him. Once more he began to dream of prosperity--once more to hope that his evil fortunes had come to an end. 

Alas! It was a false hope. A series of trials yet awaited him--aseries of misfortunes that deprived him of almost everything hepossessed, and completely changed his mode of existence. 

Perhaps these occurrences could hardly be termed _misfortunes_, since inthe end they led to a happy result. 

But you may judge for yourself, boy reader, after you have heard the"history and adventures" of the "trek-boor" and his family. 

CHAPTER TWO. 

THE "KRAAL. "

The ex-field-cornet was seated in front of his _kraal_--for such is thename of a South African homestead. From his lips protruded a largepipe, with its huge bowl of _meerschaum_. Every boor is a smoker. 

Notwithstanding the many losses and crosses of his past life, there wascontentment in his eye. He was gratified by the prosperous appearanceof his crops. The maize was now "in the milk, " and the ears, foldedwithin the papyrus-like husks, looked full and large. It was delightfulto hear the rustling of the long green blades, and see the bright goldentassels waving in the breeze. The heart of the farmer was glad as hiseye glanced over his promising crop of "mealies. " But there was anotherpromising crop that still more gladdened his heart--his fine children. There they are--all around him. 

Hans--the oldest--steady, sober Hans, at work in the well-stockedgarden; while the diminutive but sprightly imp Jan, the youngest, islooking on, and occasionally helping his brother. Hendrik--the dashingHendrik, with bright face and light curling hair--is busy among thehorses, in the "horse-kraal;" and Truey--the beautiful, cherry-cheeked, flaxen-haired Truey--is engaged with her pet--a fawn of the springbokgazelle--whose bright eyes rival her own in their expression ofinnocence and loveliness. 

Yes, the heart of the field-cornet is glad as he glances from one to theother of these his children--and with reason. They are all fair to lookupon, --all give promise of goodness. If their father feels anoccasional pang, it is, as we have already said, when his eye rests uponthe cherry-cheeked, flaxen-haired Gertrude. 

But time has long since subdued that grief to a gentle melancholy. Itspang is short-lived, and the face of the field-cornet soon lightens upagain as he looks around upon his dear children, so full of hope andpromise. 

Hans and Hendrik are already strong enough to assist him in hisoccupations, --in fact, with the exception of "Swartboy, " they are theonly help he has. 

Who is Swartboy?

Look into the horse-kraal, and you will there see Swartboy engaged, along with his young master Hendrik, in saddling a pair of horses. Youmay notice that Swartboy appears to be about thirty years old, and he isfull that; but if you were to apply a measuring rule to him, you wouldfind him not much over four feet in height! He is stoutly builthowever, and would measure better in a horizontal direction. You maynotice that he is of a yellow complexion, although his name might leadyou to fancy he was black--for "Swartboy" means "black-boy. " You mayobserve that his nose is flat and sunk below the level of his cheeks;that his cheeks are prominent, his lips very thick, his nostrils wide, his face beardless, and his head almost hairless--for the small kinkywool-knots thinly-scattered over his skull can scarcely be designatedhair. You may notice, moreover, that his head is monstrously large, with ears in proportion, and that the eyes are set obliquely, and have aChinese expression. You may notice about Swartboy all thosecharacteristics that distinguish the "Hottentots" of South Africa. 

Yet Swartboy is _not_ a Hottentot--though he is of the same race. He isa _Bushman_. 

How came this wild Bushman into the service of the ex-field-cornet VonBloom? About that there is a little romantic history. Thus:--

Among the savage tribes of Southern Africa there exists a very cruelcustom, --that of abandoning their aged or infirm, and often their sickor wounded, to die in the desert. Children leave their parents behindthem, and the wounded are often forsaken by their comrades with no otherprovision made for them beyond a day's food and a cup of water!

The Bushman Swartboy had been the victim of this custom. He had beenupon a hunting excursion with some of his own kindred, and had beensadly mangled by a lion. His comrades, not expecting him to live, lefthim on the plain to die; and most certainly would he have perished hadit not been for our field-cornet. The latter, as he was "trekking" overthe plains, found the wounded Bushman, lifted him into his wagon, carried him on to his camp, dressed his wounds, and nursed him till hebecame well. That is how Swartboy came to be in the service of thefield-cornet. 

Though gratitude is not a characteristic of his race, Swartboy was notungrateful. When all the other servants ran away, he remained faithfulto his master; and since that time had been a most efficient and usefulhand. In fact, he was now the only one left, with the exception of thegirl, Totty--who was, of course, a Hottentot; and much about the sameheight, size, and colour, as Swartboy himself. 

We have said that Swartboy and the young Hendrik were saddling a pair ofhorses. As soon as they had finished that job, they mounted them, andriding out of the kraal, took their way straight across the plain. Theywere followed by a couple of strong, rough-looking dogs. 

Their purpose was to drive home the oxen and the other horses that werefeeding a good distance off. This they were in the habit of doing everyevening at the same hour, --for in South Africa it is necessary to shutup all kinds of live-stock at night, to protect them from beasts ofprey. For this purpose are built several enclosures with highwalls, --"kraals, " as they are called, --a word of the same significationas the Spanish "corral, " and I fancy introduced into Africa by thePortuguese--since it is not a native term. 

These kraals are important structures about the homestead of a boor, almost as much so as his own dwelling-house, which of itself also bearsthe name of "kraal. "

As young Hendrik and Swartboy rode off for the horses and cattle, Hans, leaving his work in the garden, proceeded to collect the sheep and drivethem home. These browsed in a different direction; but, as they werenear, he went afoot, taking little Jan along with him. 

Truey having tied her pet to a post, had gone inside the house to helpTotty in preparing the supper. Thus the field-cornet was left tohimself and his pipe, which he still continued to smoke. 

He sat in perfect silence, though he could scarce restrain from givingexpression to the satisfaction he felt at seeing his family thusindustriously employed. Though pleased with all his children, it mustbe confessed he had some little partiality for the dashing Hendrik, whobore his own name, and who reminded him more of his own youth than anyof the others. He was proud of Hendrik's gallant horsemanship, and hiseyes followed him over the plain until the riders were nearly a mileoff, and already mixing among the cattle. 

At this moment an object came under the eyes of Von Bloom, that at oncearrested his attention. It was a curious appearance along the lowerpart of the sky, in the direction in which Hendrik and Swartboy hadgone, but apparently beyond them. It resembled a dun-coloured mist orsmoke, as if the plain at a great distance was on fire!

Could that be so? Had some one fired the _karoo_ bushes? Or was it acloud of dust?

The wind was hardly strong enough to raise such a dust, and yet it hadthat appearance. Was it caused by animals? Might it not be the dustraised by a great herd of antelopes, --a migration of the springboks, forinstance? It extended for miles along the horizon, but Von Bloom knewthat these creatures often travel in flocks of greater extent thanmiles. Still he could not think it was that. 

He continued to gaze at the strange phenomenon, endeavouring to accountfor it in various ways. It seemed to be rising higher against the bluesky--now resembling dust, now like the smoke of a widely-spreadconflagration, and now like a reddish cloud. It was in the west, andalready the setting sun was obscured by it. It had passed over thesun's disc like a screen, and his light no longer fell upon the plain. Was it the forerunner of some terrible storm?--of an earthquake?

Such a thought crossed the mind of the field-cornet. It was not like anordinary cloud, --it was not like a cloud of dust, --it was not likesmoke. It was like nothing he had ever witnessed before. No wonderthat he became anxious and apprehensive. 

All at once the dark-red mass seemed to envelope the cattle upon theplain, and these could be seen running to and fro as if affrighted. Then the two riders disappeared under its dun shadow!

Von Bloom rose to his feet, now seriously alarmed. What could it mean?

The exclamation to which he gave utterance brought little Truey andTotty from the house; and Hans with Jan had now got back with the sheepand goats. All saw the singular phenomenon, but none of them could tellwhat it was. All were in a state of alarm. 

As they stood gazing, with hearts full of fear, the two riders appearedcoming out of the cloud, and then they were seen to gallop forward overthe plain in the direction of the house. They came on at full speed, but long before they had got near, the voice of Swartboy could be heardcrying out, --

"Baas Von Bloom! _da springhaans are comin_!--_da springhaan_!--_daspringhaan_!"

CHAPTER THREE. 

THE "SPRINGHAAN. "

"Ah! the _springhaan_!" cried Von Bloom, recognising the Dutch name forthe far-famed migratory locust. 

The mystery was explained. The singular cloud that was spreading itselfover the plain was neither more nor less than a flight of locusts!

It was a sight that none of them, except Swartboy, had ever witnessedbefore. His master had often seen locusts in small quantities, and ofseveral species, --for there are many kinds of these singular insects inSouth Africa. But that which now appeared was a true migratory locust(_Gryllus devastatorius_); and upon one of its great migrations--anevent of rarer occurrence than travellers would have you believe. 

Swartboy knew them well; and, although he announced their approach in astate of great excitement, it was not the excitement of terror. 

Quite the contrary. His great thick lips were compressed athwart hisface in a grotesque expression of joy. The instincts of his wild racewere busy within him. To them a flight of locusts is not an object ofdread, but a source of rejoicing--their coming as welcome as a _take_ ofshrimps to a Leigh fisherman, or harvest to the husbandman. 

The dogs, too, barked and howled with joy, and frisked about as if theywere going out upon a hunt. On perceiving the cloud, their instinctenabled them easily to recognise the locusts. They regarded them withfeelings similar to those that stirred Swartboy--for both dogs andBushmen eat the insects with avidity!

At the announcement that it was only locusts, all at once recovered fromtheir alarm. Little Truey and Jan laughed, clapped their hands, andwaited with curiosity until they should come nearer. All had heardenough of locusts to know that they were only grasshoppers that neitherbit nor stung any one, and therefore no one was afraid of them. 

Even Von Bloom himself was at first very little concerned about them. After his feelings of apprehension, the announcement that it was aflight of locusts was a relief, and for a while he did not dwell uponthe nature of such a phenomenon, but only regarded it with feelings ofcuriosity. 

Of a sudden his thoughts took a new direction. His eye rested upon hisfields of maize and buckwheat, upon his garden of melons, and fruits, and vegetables: a new alarm seized upon him; the memory of many storieswhich he had heard in relation to these destructive creatures rushedinto his mind, and as the whole truth developed itself, he turned pale, and uttered new exclamations of alarm. 

The children changed countenance as well. They saw that their fathersuffered; though they knew not why. They gathered inquiringly aroundhim. 

"Alas! alas! Lost! lost!" exclaimed he; "yes, all our crop--our labourof the year--gone, gone! O my dear children!"

"How lost, father?--how gone?" exclaimed several of them in a breath. 

"See the springhaan! they will eat up our crop--all--all!"

"'Tis true, indeed, " said Hans, who being a great student had often readaccounts of the devastations committed by the locusts. 

The joyous countenances of all once more wore a sad expression, and itwas no longer with curiosity that they gazed upon the distant cloud, that so suddenly had clouded their joy. 

Von Bloom had good cause for dread. Should the swarm come on, andsettle upon his fields, farewell to his prospects of a harvest. Theywould strip the verdure from his whole farm in a twinkling. They wouldleave neither seed, nor leaf, nor stalk, behind them. 

All stood watching the flight with painful emotions. The swarm wasstill a full half-mile distant. They appeared to be coming no nearer, --good!

A ray of hope entered the mind of the field-cornet. He took off hisbroad felt hat, and held it up to the full stretch of his arm. The windwas blowing _from the north_, and the swarm was directly _to the west_of the kraal. The cloud of locusts had approached from the north, asthey almost invariably do in the southern parts of Africa. 

"Yes, " said Hendrik, who having been in their midst could tell what waythey were drifting, "they came down upon us from a northerly direction. When we headed our horses homewards, we soon galloped out from them, andthey did not appear to fly after us; I am sure they were passingsouthwards. "

Von Bloom entertained hopes that as none appeared due north of thekraal, the swarm might pass on without extending to the borders of hisfarm. He knew that they usually followed the direction of the wind. Unless the wind changed they would not swerve from their course. 

He continued to observe them anxiously. He saw that the selvedge of thecloud came no nearer. His hopes rose. His countenance grew brighter. The children noticed this and were glad, but said nothing. All stoodsilently watching. 

An odd sight it was. There was not only the misty swarm of the insectsto gaze upon. The air above them was filled with birds--strange birdsand of many kinds. On slow, silent wing soared the brown "oricou, " thelargest of Africa's vultures; and along with him the yellow "chassefiente, " the vulture of Kolbe. There swept the bearded "lamvanger, " onbroad extended wings. There shrieked the great "Caffre eagle, " and sideby side with him the short-tailed and singular "bateleur. " There, too, were hawks of different sizes and colours, and kites cutting through theair, and crows and ravens, and many species of _insectivora_. But farmore numerous than all the rest could be seen the little_springhaan-vogel_, a speckled bird of nearly the size and form of aswallow. Myriads of these darkened the air above--hundreds of themcontinually shooting down among the insects, and soaring up again, eachwith a victim in its beak. "Locust-vultures" are these creatures named, though not vultures in kind. They feed exclusively on these insects, and are never seen where the locusts are not. They follow them throughall their migrations, building their nests, and rearing their young, inthe midst of their prey!

It was, indeed, a curious sight to look upon, that swarm of wingedinsects, and their numerous and varied enemies; and all stood gazingupon it with feelings of wonder. Still the living cloud approached nonearer, and the hopes of Von Bloom continued to rise. 

The swarm kept extending to the south--in fact, it now stretched alongthe whole western horizon; and all noticed that it was gradually gettinglower down--that is, its top edge was sinking in the heavens. Were thelocusts passing off to the west? No. 

"Da am goin' roost for da nacht--now we'll get 'em in bagfull, " saidSwartboy, with a pleased look; for Swartboy was a regular locust-eater, as fond of them as either eagle or kite, --ay, as the "springhaan-vogel"itself. 

It was as Swartboy had stated. The swarm was actually settling down onthe plain. 

"Can't fly without sun, " continued the Bushman. "Too cold now. Dey godead till da mornin. "

And so it was. The sun had set. The cool breeze weakened the wings ofthe insect travellers, and they were compelled to make halt for thenight upon the trees, bushes, and grass. 

In a few minutes the dark mist that had hid the blue rim of the sky, wasseen no more; but the distant plain looked as if a fire had swept overit. It was thickly covered with the bodies of the insects, that gave ita blackened appearance, as far as the eye could reach. 

The attendant birds, perceiving the approach of night, screamed forawhile, and then scattered away through the heavens. Some perched uponthe rocks, while others went to roost among the low thickets of mimosa;and now for a short interval both earth and air were silent. 

Von Bloom now bethought him of his cattle. Their forms were seen afaroff in the midst of the locust-covered plain. 

"Let 'em feed um little while, baas, " suggested Swartboy. 

"On what?" inquired his master. "Don't you see the grass is covered!"

"On de springhaan demself, baas, " replied the Bushman; "good for fattenbig ox--better dan grass--ya, better dan _mealies_. "

But it was too late to leave the cattle longer out upon the plain. Thelions would soon be abroad--the sooner because of the locusts, for theking of the beasts does not disdain to fill his royal stomach with theseinsects--when he can find them. 

Von Bloom saw the necessity of bringing his cattle at once to theirkraal. 

A third horse was saddled, which the field-cornet himself mounted, androde off, followed by Hendrik and Swartboy. 

On approaching the locusts they beheld a singular sight. The ground wascovered with these reddish-brown creatures, in some spots to the depthof several inches. What bushes there were were clustered with them, --all over the leaves and branches, as if swarms of bees had settled uponthem. Not a leaf or blade of grass that was not covered with theirbodies!

They moved not, but remained silent, as if torpid or asleep. The coldof the evening had deprived them of the power of flight. 

What was strangest of all to the eyes of Von Bloom and Hendrik, was theconduct of their own horses and cattle. These were some distance out inthe midst of the sleeping host; but instead of being alarmed at theirodd situation, they were greedily gathering up the insects in mouthfuls, and crunching them as though they had been corn!

It was with some difficulty that they could be driven off; but the roarof a lion, that was just then heard over the plain, and the repeatedapplication of Swartboy's _jambok_, rendered them more tractable, and atlength they suffered themselves to be driven home, and lodged withintheir kraals. 

Swartboy had provided himself with a bag, which he carried back full oflocusts. 

It was observed that in collecting the insects into the bag, he actedwith some caution, handling them very gingerly, as if he was afraid ofthem. It was not _them_ he feared, but snakes, which upon suchoccasions are very plenteous, and very much to be dreaded--as theBushman from experience well knew. 

CHAPTER FOUR. 

A TALK ABOUT LOCUSTS. 

It was a night of anxiety in the kraal of the field-cornet. Should thewind veer round to the west, to a certainty the locusts would cover hisland in the morning, and the result would be the total destruction ofhis crops. Perhaps worse than that. Perhaps the whole vegetationaround--for fifty miles or more--might be destroyed; and then how wouldhis cattle be fed? It would be no easy matter even to save their lives. They might perish before he could drive them to any other pasturage!

Such a thing was by no means uncommon or improbable. In the history ofthe Cape colony many a boor had lost his flocks in this very way. Nowonder there was anxiety that night in the kraal of the field-cornet. 

At intervals Von Bloom went out to ascertain whether there was anychange in the wind. Up to a late hour he could perceive none. A gentlebreeze still blew from the north--from the great Kalihari desert--whence, no doubt, the locusts had come. The moon was bright, and herlight gleamed over the host of insects that darkly covered the plain. The roar of the lion could be heard mingling with the shrill scream ofthe jackal and the maniac laugh of the hyena. All these beasts, andmany more, were enjoying a plenteous repast. 

Perceiving no change in the wind, Von Bloom became less uneasy, and theyall conversed freely about the locusts. Swartboy took a leading part inthis conversation, as he was better acquainted with the subject than anyof them. It was far from being the first flight of locusts Swartboy hadseen, and many a bushel of them had he eaten. It was natural tosuppose, therefore, that he knew a good deal about them. 

He knew not whence they came. That was a point about which Swartboy hadnever troubled himself. The learned Hans offered an explanation oftheir origin. 

"They come from the desert, " said he. "The eggs from which they areproduced, are deposited in the sands or dust; where they lie until rainfalls, and causes the herbage to spring up. Then the locusts arehatched, and in their first stage are supported upon this herbage. Whenit becomes exhausted, they are compelled to go in search of food. Hencethese `migrations, ' as they are called. "

This explanation seemed clear enough. 

"Now I have heard, " said Hendrik, "of farmers kindling fires aroundtheir crops to keep off the locusts. I can't see how fires would keepthem off--not even if a regular fence of fire were made all round afield. These creatures have wings, and could easily fly over thefires. "

"The fires, " replied Hans, "are kindled, in order that the smoke mayprevent them from alighting; but the locusts to which these accountsusually refer are without wings, called _voetgangers_ (foot-goers). They are, in fact, the _larvae_ of these locusts, before they haveobtained their wings. These have also their migrations, that are oftenmore destructive than those of the perfect insects, such as we see here. They proceed over the ground by crawling and leaping like grasshoppers;for, indeed, they are grasshoppers--a species of them. They keep on inone direction, as if they were guided by instinct to follow a particularcourse. Nothing can interrupt them in their onward march unless the seaor some broad and rapid river. Small streams they can swim across; andlarge ones, too, where they run sluggishly; walls and houses they canclimb--even the chimneys--going straight over them; and the moment theyhave reached the other side of any obstacle, they continue straightonward in the old direction. 

"In attempting to cross broad rapid rivers, they are drowned incountless myriads, and swept off to the sea. When it is only a smallmigration, the farmers sometimes keep them off by means of fires, as youhave heard. On the contrary, when large numbers appear, even the firesare of no avail. "

"But how is that, brother?" inquired Hendrik. "I can understand howfires would stop the kind you speak of, since you say they are withoutwings. But since they are so, how do they get through the fires? Jumpthem?"

"No, not so, " replied Hans. "The fires are built too wide and large forthat. "

"How then, brother?" asked Hendrik. "I'm puzzled. "

"So am I, " said little Jan. 

"And I, " added Truey. 

"Well, then, " continued Hans, "millions of the insects crawl into thefires and put them out!"

"Ho!" cried all in astonishment. "How? Are they not burned?"

"Of course, " replied Hans. "They are scorched and killed--myriads ofthem quite burned up. But their bodies crowded thickly on the fireschoke them out. The foremost ranks of the great host thus becomevictims, and the others pass safely across upon the holocaust thus made. So you see, even fires cannot stop the course of the locusts when theyare in great numbers. 

"In many parts of Africa, where the natives cultivate the soil, as soonas they discover a migration of these insects, and perceive that theyare heading in the direction of their fields and gardens, quite a panicis produced among them. They know that they will lose their crops to acertainty, and hence dread a visitation of locusts as they would anearthquake, or some other great calamity. "

"We can well understand their feelings upon such an occasion, " remarkedHendrik, with a significant look. 

"The flying locusts, " continued Hans, "seem less to follow a particulardirection than their larvae. The former seem to be guided by the wind. Frequently this carries them all into the sea, where they perish in vastnumbers. On some parts of the coast their dead bodies have been foundwashed back to land in quantities incredible. At one place the seathrew them upon the beach, until they lay piled up in a ridge four feetin height, and fifty miles in length! It has been asserted by severalwell-known travellers that the effluvium from this mass tainted the airto such an extent that it was perceived one hundred and fifty milesinland!"

"Heigh!" exclaimed little Jan. "I didn't think anybody had so good anose. "

At little Jan's remark there was a general laugh. Von Bloom did notjoin in their merriment. He was in too serious a mood just then. 

"Papa, " inquired little Truey, perceiving that her father did not laugh, and thinking to draw him into the conversation, --"Papa! were these thekind of locusts eaten by John the Baptist when in the desert? His food, the Bible says, was `locusts and wild honey. '"

"I believe these are the same, " replied the father. 

"I think, papa, " modestly rejoined Hans, "they are not exactly the same, but a kindred species. The locust of Scripture was the true _Gryllusmigratorius_, and different from those of South Africa, though verysimilar in its habits. But, " continued he, "some writers dispute thatpoint altogether. The Abyssinians say it was beans of the locust-tree, and not insects, that were the food of Saint John. "

"What is your own opinion, Hans?" inquired Hendrik, who had a greatbelief in his brother's book-knowledge. 

"Why, I think, " replied Hans, "there need be no question about it. Itis only torturing the meaning of a word to suppose that Saint John atethe locust fruit, and not the insect. I am decidedly of opinion thatthe latter is meant in Scripture; and what makes me think so is, thatthese two kinds of food, `locusts and wild honey, ' are often coupledtogether, as forming at the present time the subsistence of many tribeswho are denizens of the desert. Besides, we have good evidence thatboth were used as food by desert-dwelling people in the days ofScripture. It is, therefore, but natural to suppose that Saint John, when in the desert, was forced to partake of this food; just as many atraveller of modern times has eaten of it when crossing the deserts thatsurround us here in South Africa. 

"I have read a great many books about locusts, " continued Hans; "and nowthat the Bible has been mentioned, I must say for my part, I know noaccount given of these insects so truthful and beautiful as that in theBible itself. Shall I read it, papa?"

"By all means, my boy, " said the field-cornet, rather pleased at therequest which his son had made, and at the tenor of the conversation. 

Little Truey ran into the inner room and brought out an immense volumebound in gemsbok skin, with a couple of strong brass clasps upon it tokeep it closed. This was the family Bible; and here let me observe, that a similar book may be found in the house of nearly every boor, forthese Dutch colonists are a Protestant and Bible-loving people--so muchso, that they think nothing of going a hundred miles, _four times in theyear_, to attend the _nacht-maal_, or sacramental supper! What do youthink of that?

Hans opened the volume, and turned at once to the book of the prophetJoel. From the readiness with which he found the passage, it wasevident he was well acquainted with the book he held in his hands. 

He read as follows:--

"A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thickdarkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains; a great people and astrong: there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any moreafter it, even to the years of many generations. A fire devourethbefore them, and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the gardenof Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, andnothing shall escape them. The appearance of them is as the appearanceof horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run. Like the noise ofchariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of aflame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set inbattle array. "

"The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble; the sunand the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining. "

"How do the beasts groan! the herds of cattle are perplexed, becausethey have no pasture; yea, the flocks of sheep are made desolate. "

Even the rude Swartboy could perceive the poetic beauty of thisdescription. 

But Swartboy had much to say about the locusts, as well as the inspiredJoel. 

Thus spoke Swartboy:--

"Bushman no fear da springhaan. Bushman hab no garden--no maize--nobuckwheat--no nothing for da springhaan to eat. Bushman eat locusthimself--he grow fat on da locust. Ebery thing eat dem dar springhaan. Ebery thing grow fat in da locust season. Ho! den for dem springhaan!"

These remarks of Swartboy were true enough. The locusts are eaten byalmost every species of animal known in South Africa. Not only do the_carnivora_ greedily devour them, but also animals and birds of the gamekind--such as antelopes, partridges, guinea-fowls, bustards, and, strange to say, the giant of all--the huge elephant--will travel formiles to overtake a migration of locusts! Domestic fowls, sheep, horses, and dogs, devour them with equal greediness. Still anotherstrange fact--the locusts eat one another! If any one of them getshurt, so as to impede his progress, the others immediately turn upon himand eat him up!

The Bushmen and other native races of Africa submit the locusts to aprocess of cookery before eating them; and during the whole eveningSwartboy had been engaged in preparing the bagful which he hadcollected. He "cooked" them thus:--

He first boiled, or rather _steamed_ them, for only a small quantity ofwater was put into the pot. This process lasted two hours. They werethen taken out, and allowed to dry; and after that shaken about in apan, until all the legs and wings were broken off from the bodies. Awinnowing process--Swartboy's thick lips acting as a fan--was next gonethrough; and the legs and wings were thus got rid of. The locusts werethen ready for eating. 

A little salt only was required to render them more palatable, when allpresent made trial of, and some of the children even liked them. Bymany, locusts prepared in this way are considered quite equal toshrimps!

Sometimes they are pounded when quite dry into a sort of meal, and withwater added to them, are made into a kind of stir-about. 

When well dried, they will keep for a long time; and they frequentlyform the only store of food, which the poorer natives have to dependupon for a whole season. 

Among many tribes--particularly among those who are not agricultural--the coming of the locusts is a source of rejoicing. These people turnout with sacks, and often with pack-oxen to collect and bring them totheir villages; and on such occasions vast heaps of them are accumulatedand stored, in the same way as grain!

Conversing of these things the night passed on until it was time forgoing to bed. The field-cornet went out once again to observe the wind;and then the door of the little kraal was closed and the family retiredto rest. 

CHAPTER FIVE. 

THE LOCUST-FLIGHT. 

The field-cornet slept but little. Anxiety kept him awake. He turnedand tossed, and thought of the locusts. He napped at intervals, anddreamt about locusts, and crickets, and grasshoppers, and all manner ofgreat long-legged, goggle-eyed insects. He was glad when the first rayof light penetrated through the little window of his chamber. 

He sprang to his feet; and, scarce staying to dress himself, rushed outinto the open air. It was still dark, but he did not require to see thewind. He did not need to toss a feather or hold up his hat. The truthwas too plain. A strong breeze was blowing--it was blowing _from thewest_!

Half distracted, he ran farther out to assure himself. He ran untilclear of the walls that enclosed the kraals and garden. 

He halted and felt the air. Alas! his first impression was correct. The breeze blew directly from the west--directly from the locusts. Hecould perceive the effluvium borne from the hateful insects: there wasno longer cause to doubt. 

Groaning in spirit, Von Bloom returned to his house. He had no longerany hope of escaping the terrible visitation. 

His first directions were to collect all the loose pieces of linen orclothing in the house, and pack them within the family chests. What!would the locusts be likely to eat them?

Indeed, yes--for these voracious creatures are not fastidious. Noparticular vegetable seems to be chosen by them. The leaves of thebitter tobacco plant appear to be as much to their liking as the sweetand succulent blades of maize! Pieces of linen, cotton, and evenflannel, are devoured by them, as though they were the tender shoots ofplants. Stones, iron, and hard wood, are about the only objects thatescape their fierce masticators. 

Von Bloom had heard this. Hans had read of it, and Swartboy confirmedit from his own experience. 

Consequently, everything that was at all destructible was carefullystowed away; and then breakfast was cooked and eaten in silence. 

There was a gloom over the faces of all, because he who was the head ofall was silent and dejected. What a change within a few hours! But theevening before the field-cornet and his little family were in the fullenjoyment of happiness. 

There was still one hope, though a slight one. Might it yet rain? Ormight the day turn out cold?

In either case Swartboy said the locusts could not take wing--for theycannot fly in cold or rainy weather. In the event of a cold or wet daythey would have to remain as they were, and perhaps the wind mightchange round again before they resumed their flight. Oh, for a torrentof rain, or a cold cloudy day!

Vain wish! vain hope! In half-an-hour after the sun rose up in Africansplendour, and his hot rays, slanting down upon the sleeping host, warmed them into life and activity. They commenced to crawl, to hopabout, and then, as if by one impulse, myriads rose into the air. Thebreeze impelled them in the direction in which it was blowing, --in thedirection of the devoted maize-fields. 

In less than five minutes, from the time they had taken wing, they wereover the kraal, and dropping in tens of thousands upon the surroundingfields. Slow was their flight, and gentle their descent, and to theeyes of those beneath they presented the appearance of a shower of_black_ snow, falling in large feathery flakes. In a few moments theground was completely covered, until every stalk of maize, every plantand bush, carried its hundreds. On the outer plains too, as far as eyecould see, the pasture was strewed thickly; and as the great flight hadnow passed to the eastward of the house, the sun's disk was again hiddenby them as if by an eclipse!

They seemed to move in a kind of _echellon_, the bands in the rearconstantly flying to the front, and then halting to feed, until in turnthese were headed by others that had advanced over them in a similarmanner. 

The noise produced by their wings was not the least curious phenomenon;and resembled a steady breeze playing among the leaves of the forest, orthe sound of a water-wheel. 

For two hours this passage continued. During most of that time, VonBloom and his people had remained within the house, with closed doorsand windows. This they did to avoid the unpleasant shower, as thecreatures impelled by the breeze, often strike the cheek so forcibly asto cause a feeling of pain. Moreover, they did not like treading uponthe unwelcome intruders, and crushing them under their feet, which theymust have done, had they moved about outside where the ground wasthickly covered. 

Many of the insects even crawled inside, through the chinks of the doorand windows, and greedily devoured any vegetable substance whichhappened to be lying about the floor. 

At the end of two hours Von Bloom looked forth. The thickest of theflight had passed. The sun was again shining; but upon what was heshining? No longer upon green fields and a flowery garden. No. Aroundthe house, on every side, north, south, east, and west, the eye restedonly on black desolation. Not a blade of grass, not a leaf could beseen--even the very bark was stripped from the trees, that now stood asif withered by the hand of God! Had fire swept the surface, it couldnot have left it more naked and desolate. There was no garden, therewere no fields of maize or buckwheat, there was no longer a farm--thekraal stood in the midst of a desert!

Words cannot depict the emotions of the field-cornet at that moment. The pen cannot describe his painful feelings. 

Such a change in two hours! He could scarce credit his senses--he couldscarce believe in its reality. He knew that the locusts would eat uphis maize, and his wheat, and the vegetables of his garden; but hisfancy had fallen far short of the extreme desolation that had actuallybeen produced. The whole landscape was metamorphosed--grass was out ofthe question--trees, whose delicate foliage had played in the softbreeze but two short hours before, now stood leafless, scathed by worsethan winter. The very ground seemed altered in shape! He would nothave known it as his own farm. Most certainly had the owner been absentduring the period of the locust-flight, and approached without anyinformation of what had been passing, he would not have recognised theplace of his own habitation!

With the phlegm peculiar to his race, the field-cornet sat down, andremained for a long time without speech or movement. 

His children gathered near, and looked on--their young hearts painfullythrobbing. They could not fully appreciate the difficult circumstancesin which this occurrence had placed them; nor did their father himselfat first. He thought only of the loss he had sustained, in thedestruction of his fine crops; and this of itself, when we consider hisisolated situation, and the hopelessness of restoring them, was enoughto cause him very great chagrin. 

"Gone! all gone!" he exclaimed, in a sorrowing voice. "Oh! Fortune--Fortune--again art thou cruel!"

"Papa! do not grieve, " said a soft voice; "we are all alive yet, we arehere by your side;" and with the words a little white hand was laid uponhis shoulder. It was the hand of the beautiful Truey. 

It seemed as if an angel had smiled upon him. He lifted the child inhis arms, and in a paroxysm of fondness pressed her to his heart. Thatheart felt relieved. 

"Bring me the Book, " said he, addressing one of the boys. 

The Bible was brought--its massive covers were opened--a verse waschosen--and the song of praise rose up in the midst of the desert. 

The Book was closed; and for some minutes all knelt in prayer. 

When Von Bloom again stood upon his feet, and looked around him, thedesert seemed once more to "rejoice and blossom as the rose. "

Upon the human heart such is the magic influence of resignation andhumility. 

CHAPTER SIX. 

"INSPANN AND TREK!"

With all his confidence in the protection of a Supreme Being, Von Bloomknew that he was not to leave everything to the Divine hand. That wasnot the religion he had been taught; and he at once set about takingmeasures to extricate himself from the unpleasant position in which hewas placed. 

_Unpleasant_ position! Ha! It was more than unpleasant, as thefield-cornet began to perceive. It was a position of _peril_!

The more Von Bloom reflected, the more was he convinced of this. Therethey were, in the middle of a black naked plain, that without a greenspot extended beyond the limits of vision. How much farther he couldnot guess; but he knew that the devastations of the migratory locustsometimes cover an area of thousands of miles! It was certain that theone that had just swept past was on a very extensive scale. 

It was evident he could no longer remain by his kraal. His horses, andcattle, and sheep, could not live without food; and should these perish, upon what were he and his family to subsist? He must leave the kraal. He must go in search of pasture, without loss of time, --at once. Already the animals, shut up beyond their usual hour, were utteringtheir varied cries, impatient to be let out. They would soon hunger;and it was hard to say when food could be procured for them. 

There was no time to be lost. Every hour was of great importance, --evenminutes must not be wasted in dubious hesitation. 

The field-cornet spent but a few minutes in consideration. Whethershould he mount one of his best horses, and ride off alone in search ofpasture? or whether would it not be better to "inspann" his wagon, andtake everything along with him at once?

He soon decided in favour of the latter course. In any case he wouldhave been compelled to move from his present location, --to leave thekraal altogether. 

He might as well take everything at once. Should he go out alone, itmight cost him a long time to find grass and water--for both would benecessary--and, meantime, his stock would be suffering. 

These and other considerations decided him at once to "inspann" and"trek" away, with his wagon, his horses, his cattle, his sheep, his"household gods, " and his whole family circle. 

"Inspann and trek!" was the command: and Swartboy, who was proud of thereputation he had earned as a wagon-driver, was now seen waving hisbamboo whip like a great fishing-rod. 

"Inspann and trek!" echoed Swartboy, tying upon his twenty-feet lash anew cracker, which he had twisted out of the skin of the hartebeestantelope. 

"Inspann and trek!" he repeated, making his vast whip crack like apistol; "yes, baas, I'll inspann;" and, having satisfied himself thathis "voorslag" was properly adjusted, Swartboy rested the bamboo handleagainst the side of the house, and proceeded to the kraal to collect theyoke-oxen. 

A large wagon, of a sort that is the pride and property of every Capefarmer, stood to one side of the house. It was a vehicle of the firstclass, --a regular "cap-tent" wagon, --that had been made for thefield-cornet in his better days, and in which he had been used to drivehis wife and children to the "nacht-maal" and upon _vrolykheids_(parties of pleasure. ) In those days a team of eight fine horses usedto draw it along at a rattling rate. Alas! oxen had now to take theirplace; for Von Bloom had but five horses in his whole stud, and thesewere required for the saddle. 

But the wagon was almost as good as ever it had been, --almost as good aswhen it used to be the envy of the field-cornet's neighbours, the boorsof Graaf Reinet. Nothing was broken. Everything was in itsplace, --"voor-kist, " and "achter-kist, " and side-chests. There was thesnow-white cap, with its "fore-clap" and "after-clap, " and its insidepockets, all complete; and the wheels neatly carved, and the well planedboxing and "disselboom" and the strong "trektow" of buffalo-hide. Nothing was wanting that ought to be found about a wagon. It was, infact, the best part of the field-cornet's property that remained tohim, --for it was equal in value to all the oxen, cattle, and sheep, uponhis establishment. 

While Swartboy, assisted by Hendrik, was catching up the twelveyoke-oxen, and attaching them to the disselboom and trektow of thewagon, the "baas" himself, aided by Hans, Totty, and also by Truey andlittle Jan, was loading up the furniture and implements. This was not adifficult task. The _Penates_ of the little kraal were not numerous, and were all soon packed either inside or around the roomy vehicle. 

In about an hour's time the wagon was loaded up, the oxen wereinspanned, the horses saddled, and everything was ready for "trekking. "

And now arose the question, _whither_?

Up to this time Von Bloom had only thought of getting away from thespot--of escaping beyond the naked waste that surrounded him. 

It now became necessary to determine the direction in which they were totravel--a most important consideration. 

Important, indeed, as a little reflection showed. They might go in thedirection in which the locusts had gone, or that in which they had_come_? On either route they might travel for scores of miles withoutmeeting with a mouthful of grass for the hungry animals; and in such acase these would break down and perish. 

Or the travellers might move in some other direction, and find grass, but not water. Without water, not only would they have to fear for thecattle, but for themselves--for their own lives. How important then itwas, which way they turned their faces!

At first the field-cornet bethought him of heading towards thesettlements. The nearest water in that direction was almost fifty milesoff. It lay to the eastward of the kraal. The locusts had just gonethat way. They would by this time have laid waste the whole country--perhaps to the water or beyond it!

It would be a great risk going in that direction. 

Northward lay the Kalihari desert. It would be hopeless to steer north. Von Bloom knew of no oasis in the desert. Besides the locusts had comefrom the north. They were drifting southward when first seen; and fromthe time they had been observed passing in this last direction, they hadno doubt ere this wasted the plains far to the south. 

The thoughts of the field-cornet were now turned to the west. It istrue the swarm had last approached from the west; but Von Bloom fanciedthat they had first come down from the north, and that the suddenveering round of the wind had caused them to change direction. Hethought that by trekking westward he would soon get beyond the groundthey had laid bare. 

He knew something of the plains to the west--not much indeed, but heknew that at about forty miles distance there was a spring with goodpasturage around it, upon whose water he could depend. He had oncevisited it, while on a search for some of his cattle, that had wanderedthus far. Indeed, it then appeared to him a better situation for cattlethan the one he held, and he had often thought of moving to it. Itsgreat distance from any civilised settlement was the reason why he hadnot done so. Although he was already far beyond the frontier, he stillkept up a sort of communication with the settlements, whereas at themore distant point such a communication would be extremely difficult. 

Now that other considerations weighed with him, his thoughts once morereturned to this spring; and after spending a few minutes more inearnest deliberation, he decided upon "trekking" westward. 

Swartboy was ordered to head round, and strike to the west. The Bushmanpromptly leaped to his seat upon the voor-kist, cracked his mighty whip, straightened out his long team, and moved off over the plain. 

Hans and Hendrik were already in their saddles; and having cleared thekraals of all their live-stock, with the assistance of the dogs, drovethe lowing and bleating animals before them. 

Truey and little Jan sat beside Swartboy on the fore-chest of the wagon;and the round full eyes of the pretty springbok could be seen peepingcuriously out from under the cap-tent. 

Casting a last look upon his desolate kraal, the field-cornet turned hishorse's head, and rode after the wagon. 

CHAPTER SEVEN. 

"WATER! WATER!"

On moved the little caravan, but not in silence. Swartboy's voice andwhip made an almost continual noise. The latter could be plainly heardmore than a mile over the plain, like repeated discharges of a musket. Hendrik, too, did a good deal in the way of shouting; and even theusually quiet Hans was under the necessity of using his voice to urgethe flock forward in the right direction. 

Occasionally both the boys were called upon to give Swartboy a help withthe leading oxen when these became obstinate or restive, and would turnout of the track. At such times either Hans or Hendrik would gallop up, set the heads of the animals right again, and ply the "jamboks" upontheir sides. 

This "jambok" is a severe chastener to an obstinate ox. It is anelastic whip made of rhinoceros or hippopotamus skin, --hippopotamus isthe best, --near six feet long, and tapering regularly from butt to tip. 

Whenever the led oxen misbehaved, and Swartboy could not reach them withhis long "voorslag, " Hendrik was ever ready to tickle them with histough jambok; and, by this means, frighten them into good behaviour. Indeed, one of the boys was obliged to be at their head nearly all thetime. 

A "leader" is used to accompany most teams of oxen in South Africa. Butthose of the field-cornet had been accustomed to draw the wagon withoutone, ever since the Hottentot servants fan away; and Swartboy had drivenmany miles with no other help than his long whip. But the strange lookof everything, since the locusts passed, had made the oxen shy and wild;besides the insects had obliterated every track or path which oxen wouldhave followed. The whole surface was alike, --there was neither tracenor mark. Even Von Bloom himself could with difficulty recognise thefeatures of the country, and had to guide himself by the sun in the sky. 

Hendrik stayed mostly by the head of the leading oxen. Hans had nodifficulty in driving the flock when once fairly started. A sense offear kept all together, and as there was no herbage upon any side totempt them to stray, they moved regularly on. 

Von Bloom rode in front to guide the caravan. Neither he nor any ofthem had made any change in their costume, but travelled in theireveryday dress. The field-cornet himself was habited after the mannerof most boors, --in wide leathern trousers, termed in that country"crackers;" a large roomy jacket of green cloth, with ample outsidepockets; a fawn-skin waistcoat; a huge white felt hat, with the broadestof brims; and upon his feet a pair of brogans of African unstainedleather, known among the boors as "feldt-schoenen" (country shoes). Over his saddle lay a "kaross, " or robe of leopard-skins, and upon hisshoulder he carried his "roer"--a large smoothbore gun, about six feetin length, with an old-fashioned flint-lock, --quite a load of itself. This is the gun in which the boor puts all his trust; and although anAmerican backwoodsman would at first sight be disposed to laugh at sucha weapon, a little knowledge of the boor's country would change hisopinion of the "roer. " His own weapon--the small-bore rifle, with abullet less than a pea--would be almost useless among the large gamethat inhabits the country of the boor. Upon the "karoos" of Africathere are crack shots and sterling hunters, as well as in the backwoodsor on the prairies of America. 

Curving round under the field-cornet's left arm, and resting against hisside, was an immense powder-horn--of such size as could only be producedupon the head of an African ox. It was from the country of theBechuanas, though nearly all Cape oxen grow horns of vast dimensions. Of course it was used to carry the field-cornet's powder, and, if full, it must have contained half-a-dozen pounds at least! A leopard-skinpouch hanging under his right arm, a hunting-knife stuck in hiswaist-belt, and a large meerschaum pipe through the band of his hat, completed the equipments of the trek-boor, Von Bloom. 

Hans and Hendrik were very similarly attired, armed, and equipped. Ofcourse their trousers were of dressed sheep-skin, wide--like thetrousers of all young boors--and they also wore jackets and"feldt-schoenen, " and broad-brimmed white hats. Hans carried a lightfowling-piece, while Hendrik's gun was a stout rifle of the kind knownas a "yager"--an excellent gun for large game. In this piece Hendrikhad great pride, and had learnt to drive a nail with it at nearly ahundred paces. Hendrik was _par excellence_ the marksman of the party. Each of the boys also carried a large crescent-shaped powder-horn, witha pouch for bullets; and over the saddle of each was strapped the robeor kaross, differing only from their father's in that his was of therarer leopard-skin, while theirs were a commoner sort, one of antelope, and the other of jackal-skin. Little Jan also wore wide trousers, jacket, "feldt-schoenen, " and broad-brimmed beaver, --in fact, Jan, although scarce a yard high, was, in point of costume, a type of hisfather, --a diminutive type of the boor. Truey was habited in a skirt ofblue woollen stuff, with a neat bodice elaborately stitched andembroidered after the Dutch fashion, and over her fair locks she wore alight sun-hat of straw with a ribbon and strings. Totty was veryplainly attired in strong homespun, without any head-dress. As forSwartboy, a pair of old leathern "crackers" and a striped shirt were allthe clothing he carried, beside his sheep-skin kaross. Such were thecostumes of our travellers. 

For full twenty miles the plain was wasted bare. Not a bite could thebeasts obtain, and water there was none. The sun during the day shonebrightly, --too brightly, for his beams were as hot as within thetropics. The travellers could scarce have borne them had it not beenthat a stiff breeze was blowing all day long. But this unfortunatelyblew directly in their faces, and the dry karoos are never without dust. The constant hopping of the locusts with their millions of tiny feethad loosened the crust of earth; and now the dust rose freely upon thewind. Clouds of it enveloped the little caravan, and rendered theirforward movement both difficult and disagreeable. Long before nighttheir clothes were covered, their mouths filled, and their eyes sore. 

But all that was nothing. Long before night a far greater grievance wasfelt, --the want of water. 

In their hurry to escape from the desolate scene at the kraal, Von Bloomhad not thought of bringing a supply in the wagon--a sad oversight, in acountry like South Africa, where springs are so rare, and runningstreams so uncertain. A sad oversight indeed, as they now learnt--forlong before night they were all crying out for water--all were equallysuffering from the pangs of thirst. 

Von Bloom thirsted, but he did not think of himself, except that hesuffered from self-accusation. He blamed himself for neglecting tobring a needful supply of water. He was the cause of the sufferings ofall the rest. He felt sad and humbled on account of his thoughtlessnegligence. 

He could promise them no relief--at least none until they should reachthe spring. He knew of no water nearer. 

It would be impossible to reach the spring that night. It was late whenthey started. Oxen travel slowly. Half the distance would be as muchas they could make by sundown. 

To reach the water they would have to travel all night; but they couldnot do that for many reasons. The oxen would require to rest--the moreso that they were hungered; and now Von Bloom thought, when too late, ofanother neglect he had committed--that was, in not collecting, duringthe flight of the locusts, a sufficient quantity of them to have givenhis cattle a feed. 

This plan is often adopted under similar circumstances; but thefield-cornet had not thought of it: and as but few locusts fell in thekraals where the animals had been confined, they had therefore beenwithout food since the previous day. The oxen in particular showedsymptoms of weakness, and drew the wagon sluggishly; so that Swartboy'svoice and long whip were kept in constant action. 

But there were other reasons why they would have to halt when night cameon. The field-cornet was not so sure of the direction. He would not beable to follow it by night, as there was not the semblance of a track toguide him. Besides it would be dangerous to travel by night, for thenthe nocturnal robber of Africa--the fierce lion--is abroad. 

They would be under the necessity, therefore, of halting for the night, water or no water. 

It wanted yet half-an-hour of sundown when Von Bloom had arrived at thisdecision. He only kept on a little farther in hopes of reaching a spotwhere there was grass. They were now more than twenty miles from theirstarting-point, and still the black "spoor" of the locusts covered theplain. Still no grass to be seen, still the bushes bare of theirleaves, and barked!

The field-cornet began to think that he was trekking right in the waythe locusts had come. Westward he was heading for certain; he knewthat. But he was not yet certain that the flight had not advanced fromthe west instead of the north. If so, they might go for days beforecoming upon a patch of grass!

These thoughts troubled him, and with anxious eyes he swept the plain infront, as well as to the right and left. 

A shout from the keen-eyed Bushman produced a joyful effect. He sawgrass in front. He saw some bushes with leaves! They were still a mileoff, but the oxen, as if the announcement had been understood by them, moved more briskly forward. 

Another mile passed over, and they came upon grass, sure enough. It wasa very scanty pasture, though--a few scattered blades growing ever thereddish surface, but in no place a mouthful for an ox. There was justenough to tantalise the poor brutes without filling their stomachs. Itassured Von Bloom, however, that they had now got beyond the track ofthe locusts; and he kept on a little farther in hopes that the pasturemight get better. 

It did not, however. The country through which they advanced was awild, sterile plain--almost as destitute of vegetation as that overwhich they had hitherto been travelling. It no longer owed itsnakedness to the locusts, but to the absence of water. 

They had no more time to search for pasture. The sun was already belowthe horizon when they halted to "outspann. "

A "kraal" should have been built for the cattle, and another for thesheep and goats. There were bushes enough to have constructed them, butwho of that tired party had the heart to cut them down and drag them tothe spot?

It was labour enough--the slaughtering a sheep for supper, andcollecting sufficient wood to cook it. No kraal was made. The horseswere tied around the wagon. The oxen, cattle, and sheep and goats, wereleft free to go where they pleased. As there was no pasture near totempt them, it was hoped that, after the fatigue of their long journey, they would not stray far from the camp-fire, which was kept burningthroughout the night. 

CHAPTER EIGHT. 

THE FATE OF THE HERO. 

But they _did_ stray. 

When day broke, and the travellers looked around them, not a head of theoxen or cattle was to be seen. Yes, there was one, and one only--themilch-cow. Totty, after milking her on the previous night, had left hertied to a bush where she still remained. All the rest were gone, andthe sheep and goats as well. 

Whither had they strayed?

The horses were mounted, and search was made. The sheep and goats werefound among some bushes not far off; but it soon appeared that the otheranimals had gone clean away. 

Their spoor was traced for a mile or two. It led back on the very trackthey had come; and no doubt any longer existed that they had returned tothe kraal. 

To overtake them before reaching that point, would be difficult, if atall possible. Their tracks showed that they had gone off early in thenight, and had travelled at a rapid rate--so that by this time they hadmost likely arrived at their old home. 

This was a sad discovery. To have followed them on the thirsting andhungry horses would have been a useless work; yet without the yoke-oxenhow was the wagon to be taken forward to the spring?

It appeared to be a sad dilemma they were in; but after a shortconsultation the thoughtful Hans suggested a solution of it. 

"Can we not attach the horses to the wagon?" inquired he. "The fivecould surely draw it on to the spring?"

"What! and leave the cattle behind?" said Hendrik. "If we do not goafter them, they will be all lost, and then--"

"We could go for them afterwards, " replied Hans; "but is it not betterfirst to push forward to the spring; and, after resting the horses awhile, return then for the oxen? They will have reached the kraal bythis time. There they will be sure of water anyhow, and that will keepthem alive till we get there. "

The course suggested by Hans seemed feasible enough. At all events, itwas the best plan they could pursue; so they at once set about puttingit in execution. The horses were attached to the wagon in the best waythey could think of. Fortunately some old horse-harness formed part ofthe contents of the vehicle, and these were brought out and fitted on, as well as could be done. 

Two horses were made fast to the disselboom as "wheelers;" two others tothe trektow cut to the proper length; and the fifth horse was placed infront as a leader. 

When all was ready, Swartboy again mounted the voor-kist, gathered uphis reins, cracked his whip, and set his team in motion. To the delightof every one, the huge heavy-laden wagon moved off as freely as if afull team had been inspanned. 

Von Bloom, Hendrik, and Hans, cheered as it passed them; and setting themilch-cow and the flock of sheep and goats in motion, moved brisklyafter. Little Jan and Truey still rode in the wagon; but the others nowtravelled afoot, partly because they had the flock to drive, and partlythat they might not increase the load upon the horses. 

They all suffered greatly from thirst, but they would have sufferedstill more had it not been for that valuable creature that trotted alongbehind the wagon--the cow--"old Graaf, " as she was called. She hadyielded several pints of milk, both the night before and that morning;and this well-timed supply had given considerable relief to thetravellers. 

The horses behaved beautifully. Notwithstanding that their harness wasboth incomplete and ill fitted, they pulled the wagon along after themas if not a strap or buckle had been wanting. They appeared to knowthat their kind master was in a dilemma, and were determined to draw himout of it. Perhaps, too, they smelt the spring-water before them. Atall events, before they had been many hours in harness, they weredrawing the wagon through a pretty little valley covered with green, meadow-looking sward; and in five minutes more were standing halted neara cool crystal spring. 

In a short time all had drunk heartily, and were refreshed. The horseswere turned out upon the grass, and the other animals browsed over themeadow. A good fire was made near the spring, and a quarter of muttoncooked--upon which the travellers dined--and then all sat waiting forthe horses to fill themselves. 

The field-cornet, seated upon one of the wagon-chests, smoked his greatpipe. He could have been contented, but for one thing--the absence ofhis cattle. 

He had arrived at a beautiful pasture-ground--a sort of oasis in thewild plains, where there were wood, water, and grass, --everything thatthe heart of a "vee-boor" could desire. It did not appear to be a largetract, but enough to have sustained many hundred head of cattle--enoughfor a very fine "stock farm. " It would have answered his purposeadmirably; and had he succeeded in bringing on his oxen and cattle, hewould at that moment have felt happy enough. But without them whatavailed the fine pasturage? What could he do there without them tostock it? They were his wealth--at least, he had hoped in time thattheir increase would become wealth. They were all of excellent breeds;and, with the exception of his twelve yoke-oxen, and one or twolong-horned Bechuana bulls, all the others were fine young cowscalculated soon to produce a large herd. 

Of course his anxiety about these animals rendered it impossible for himto enjoy a moment's peace of mind, until he should start back in searchof them. He had only taken out his pipe to pass the time, while thehorses were gathering a bite of grass. As soon as their strength shouldbe recruited a little, it was his design to take three of the strongestof them, and with Hendrik and Swartboy, ride back to the old kraal. 

As soon, therefore, as the horses were ready for the road again, theywere caught and saddled up; and Von Bloom, Hendrik, and Swartboy, mounted and set out, while Hans remained in charge of the camp. 

They rode at a brisk rate, determined to travel all night, and, ifpossible, reach the kraal before morning. At the last point on theroute where there was grass, they off-saddled, and allowed their horsesto rest and refresh themselves. They had brought with them some slicesof the roast mutton, and this time they had not forgotten to fill theirgourd-canteens with water--so that they should not again suffer fromthirst. After an hour's halt they continued their journey. 

It was quite night when they arrived at the spot where the oxen haddeserted them; but a clear moon was in the sky, and they were able tofollow back the wheel-tracks of the wagon, that were quite conspicuousunder the moonlight. Now and then to be satisfied, Von Bloom requestedSwartboy to examine the spoor, and see whether the cattle had still keptthe back-track. To answer this gave no great trouble to the Bushman. He would drop from his horse, and bending over the ground, would replyin an instant. In every case the answer was in the affirmative. Theanimals had certainly gone back to their old home. 

Von Bloom believed they would be sure to find them there, but shouldthey find them _alive_? That was the question that rendered himanxious. 

The creatures could obtain water by the spring, but food--where? Not abite would they find anywhere, and would not hunger have destroyed themall before this?

Day was breaking when they came in sight of the old homestead. Itpresented a very odd appearance. Not one of the three would haverecognised it. After the invasion of the locusts it showed a veryaltered look, but now there was something else that added to thesingularity of its appearance. A row of strange objects seemed to beplaced upon the roof ridge, and along the walls of the kraals. Whatwere these strange objects, for they certainly did not belong to thebuildings? This question was put by Von Bloom, partly to himself, butloud enough for the others to hear him. 

"_Da vogels_!" (the vultures), replied Swartboy. 

Sure enough, it was a string of vultures that appeared along the walls. 

The sight of these filthy birds was more than ominous. It filled VonBloom with apprehension. What could they be doing there? There must becarrion near?

The party rode forward. The day was now up, and the vultures had grownbusy. They flapped their shadowy wings, rose from the walls, andalighted at different points around the house. 

"Surely there must be carrion, " muttered Von Bloom. 

There _was_ carrion, and plenty of it. As the horsemen drew near thevultures rose into the air, and a score of half-devoured carcasses couldbe seen upon the ground. The long curving horns that appeared besideeach carcass, rendered it easy to tell to what sort of animals theybelonged. In the torn and mutilated fragments, Von Bloom recognised theremains of his lost herd!

Not one was left alive. There could be seen the remains of all of them, both cows and oxen, lying near the enclosures and on the adjacentplain--each where it had fallen. 

But how had they fallen? That was the mystery. 

Surely they could not have perished of hunger, and so suddenly? Theycould not have died of thirst, for there was the spring bubbling up justbeside where they lay? The vultures had not killed them! What then?

Von Bloom did not ask many questions. He was not left long in doubt. As he and his companions rode over the ground, the mystery wasexplained. The tracks of lions, hyenas, and jackals, made everythingclear enough. A large troop of these animals had been upon the ground. The scarcity of game, caused by the migration of the locusts, had nodoubt rendered them more than usually ravenous, and in consequence thecattle became their prey. 

Where were they now? The morning light, and the sight of the houseperhaps, had driven them off. But their spoor was quite fresh. Theywere near at hand, and would be certain to return again upon thefollowing night. 

Von Bloom felt a strong desire to be revenged upon the hideous brutes;and, under other circumstances, would have remained to get a shot atthem. But just then that would have been both imprudent andunprofitable work. It would be as much as their horses couldaccomplish, to get back to camp that night; so, without even enteringthe old house, they watered their animals, refilled their calabashes atthe spring, and with heavy hearts once more rode away from the kraal. 

CHAPTER NINE. 

A LION "COUCHANT. "

They had not proceeded an hundred steps when an object appeared beforethem that caused all three to draw bridle suddenly and simultaneously. That object was a lion!

He was couched upon the plain directly in the path they intended totake--the very same path by which they had come!

How was it they had not seen him before? He was under the lee of a lowbush; but, thanks to the locusts, this bush was leafless, and its thinnaked twigs formed no concealment for so large a creature as a lion. His tawny hide shone conspicuously through them. 

The truth is, he had not been there when the horsemen passed towards thekraal. He had just fled from among the carcasses, on seeing themapproach; and had skulked around the walls, and then run to their rear. He had executed this manoeuvre to avoid an encounter--for a lion reasonsas a man does, though not to the same extent. Seeing the horsemen comethat way, his reasoning powers were strong enough to tell him that theywere not likely to return by the same path. It was more natural theyshould continue on. A man, ignorant of all the preceding eventsconnected with their journey would have reasoned much in the same way. If you have been at all observant, you have seen other animals--such asdogs, deer, hares, or even birds--act just as the lion did on thisoccasion. 

Beyond a doubt the intellectual process described passed through themind of this lion; and he had skulked round to shun an encounter withthe three travellers. 

Now a lion will not always act so--though he will in five cases out ofsix, or oftener. Hence very erroneous views are held in relation to thecourage of this animal. Some naturalists, led away by what appears tobe a feeling of envy or anger, accuse the lion of downright _cowardice_, denying him a single noble quality of all those that have from earliesttimes been ascribed to him! Others, on the contrary, assert that heknows no fear, either of man or beast; and these endow him with manyvirtues besides courage. Both parties back up their views, not by mereassertions, but by an ample narration of well-attested facts!

How is this? There is a dilemma here. Both cannot be right in theiropinions? And yet, odd as it may appear to say so, both _are_ right ina certain sense. 

The fact is, _some lions are cowardly, while others are brave_. 

The truth of this might be shown by whole pages of facts, but in thislittle volume we have not room. I think, however, boy reader, I cansatisfy you with an analogy. 

Answer me--Do you know any species of animal, the individuals of whichare exactly alike in character? Think over the dogs _of youracquaintance_! Are they alike, or anything near it? Are not some ofthem noble, generous, faithful, brave to the death? Are not othersmean, sneaking, cowardly curs? So is it with lions. 

Now, you are satisfied that my statement about the lions may be true. 

There are many causes to affect the courage and ferocity of the lion. His age--the state of his stomach--the season of the year--the hour ofthe day--but, above all, the _sort of hunters that belong to thedistrict he inhabits_. 

This last fact appears quite natural to those who believe in the_intellect_ of animals, which of course _I_ do. It is perfectly naturalthat the lion, as well as other animals, should soon learn the characterof his enemy, and fear him or not, as the case may be. Is this not anold story with us? If I remember aright, we had a talk upon thissubject when speaking of the crocodiles of America. We remarked thatthe alligator of the Mississippi rarely attacks man in modern times; butit has not been always so. The rifle of the alligator-leather hunterhas tamed its ferocity. The very _same species_ in South America eatsIndians by scores every year; and the crocodile of Africa is dreaded insome parts even more than the lion!

It is asserted that the lions of the Cape are more cowardly in somedistricts than in others. They are less brave in those districts wherethey have been "jaged" by the courageous and stalwart boor with his longloud-cracking "roer. "

Beyond the frontier, where they have no enemy but the tiny arrow of theBushman (who does not desire to kill them!) and the slender "assegai" ofthe Bechuana, the lion has little or no fear of man. 

Whether the one, before the eyes of our party, was naturally a braveone, could not yet be told. He was one with a huge black mane, or"schwart-fore life, " as the boors term it; and these are esteemed thefiercest and most dangerous. The "yellow-maned, "--for there isconsiderable variety in the colour of the Cape lions--is regarded aspossessing less courage; but there is some doubt about the truth ofthis. The young "black-manes" may often be mistaken for the true yellowvariety, and their character ascribed to him to his prejudice, --for theswarthy colour of the mane only comes after the lion is many years ofage. 

Whether the "schwart-fore life" was a fierce and brave one, Von Bloomdid not stay to think about. It was evident that the edge had beentaken off the animal's appetite. It was evident he did not meditate anattack; and that had the horsemen chosen to make a detour, and ridepeacefully away, they might have continued their journey without everseeing or hearing of him again. 

But the field-cornet had no such intention. He had lost his preciousoxen and cattle. _That_ lion had pulled down some of them, at least. The Dutch blood was up, and if the beast had been the strongest andfiercest of his tribe, he was bound to be brought out of that bush. 

Ordering the others to remain where they were, Von Bloom advanced onhorseback until within about fifty paces of where the lion lay. Here hedrew up, coolly dismounted, passed the bridle over his arm, stuck hisloading-rod into the ground, and knelt down behind it. 

You will fancy he would have been safer to have kept his saddle, as thelion cannot overtake a horse. True; but the lion would have been safertoo. It is no easy matter to fire correctly from any horse, but whenthe mark happens to be a grim lion, he is a well-trained steed that willstand sufficiently firm to admit of a true aim. A shot from the saddleunder such circumstances is a mere chance shot; and the field-cornet wasnot in the mood to be satisfied with a chance shot. Laying his roerathwart the loading-rod, and holding the long barrel steady against it, he took deliberate aim through the ivory sights. 

During all this time the lion had not stirred. The bush was between himand the hunter; but he could hardly have believed that it sufficed toconceal him. Far from it. His yellow flanks were distinctly visiblethrough the thorny twigs, and his head could be seen with his muzzle andwhiskers stained red with the blood of the oxen. 

No--he did not believe himself hid. A slight growl, with one or twoshakes of his tail, proved the contrary. He lay still however, as lionsusually do, until more nearly approached. The hunter, as alreadystated, was full fifty yards from him. 

Excepting the motion of his tail, he made no other till Von Bloom pulledtrigger; and then with a scream he sprang several feet into the air. The hunter had been afraid of the twigs causing his bullet to glanceoff; but it was plain it had told truly, for he saw the fur fly from theside of that lion where it struck him. 

It was but a wound; and not deadly, as soon appeared. 

With long bounds the angry brute came on--lashing his tail, and showinghis fearful teeth. His mane, now on end, seemed to have doubled hissize. He looked as large as a bull!

In a _few_ seconds time he had crossed the distance that separated himfrom the hunter, but the latter was gone far from that spot. The momenthe had delivered his fire, he leaped upon his well-trained horse, androde off towards the others. 

All three were for a short while together--Hendrik holding his yagercocked and ready, while Swartboy grasped his bow and arrows. But thelion dashed forward before either could fire; and they were obliged tospur and gallop out of his way. 

Swartboy had ridden to one side, while Von Bloom and Hendrik took theother; and the game was now between the two parties--both of which hadpulled up at some distance off. 

The lion, after the failure of his charge, halted, and looked first atone, then at the other--as if uncertain which to pursue. 

His appearance at this moment was terrible beyond expression. His wholefierce nature was roused. His mane stood erect--his tail lasher hisflanks--his mouth, widely open, showed the firm-set trenchant teeth--their white spikes contrasting with the red blood that clotted hischeeks and snout, while his angry roaring added horror to hisappearance. 

But none of the three were terrified out of their senses. Hendrik atthis moment covered him with his rifle, took cool aim, and fired; whileat the same instant Swartboy sent an arrow whistling through the air. 

Both had aimed truly. Both bullet and arrow struck; and the shaft ofthe latter could be seen sticking in the lion's thigh. 

The fierce brute that up to this time had exhibited the most determinedcourage, now seemed overcome with a sudden fear. Either the arrow orone of the bullets must have sickened him with the combat; for, droppinghis mop-like tail to a level with the line of his back, he broke away;and, trotting sulkily forward, sprang in at the door of the kraal!

CHAPTER TEN. 

A LION IN THE TRAP. 

There was something singular in the lion seeking shelter in so unusual aplace; but it showed his sagacity. There was no other cover withinconvenient distance, and to have reached any bush that would haveafforded him concealment, since the passage of the locusts, would havebeen difficult. The mounted hunters could easily have overtaken him, had he attempted to run off. He was aware that the house wasuninhabited. He had been prowling around it all the night--perhapswithin it--and therefore knew what sort of place it was. 

The brute's instinct was correct. The walls of the house would protecthim from the guns of his enemies at a distance; and for these toapproach near would be his advantage and their danger. 

An odd incident occurred as the lion entered the kraal. There was alarge window in one end of the house. Of course it was not glazed--itnever had been. A glass window is a rarity in these parts. A strongwooden shutter alone closed it. This was still hanging on its hinges, but in the hurried "flitting, " the window had been left open. The dooralso had been standing ajar. As the lion sprang in at the latter, astring of small foxy wolf-like creatures came pouring out through theformer, and ran with all their might across the plain. They werejackals!

As it afterwards appeared, one of the oxen had been chased into thehouse either by lions or hyenas, and killed there. His carcass had beenoverlooked by the larger carnivora, and the cunning jackals had beenmaking a quiet breakfast upon it, when so unceremoniously disturbed. 

The entrance of their terrible king in such angry mood, by the door, caused the fox-wolves to beat a quick retreat by the window; and theappearance of the horsemen without had still further frightened thesecowardly brutes, so that they ran away from the kraal at top speed, andnever halted until they were out of sight. 

The three hunters could not restrain a laugh; but their tone wassuddenly changed by another incident that happened almost at the samemoment. 

Von Bloom had brought with him his two fine dogs, to assist in drivingback the cattle. 

During the short halt the party had made by the spring, these hadfastened upon a half-eaten carcass behind the walls; and, beingextremely hungry, had stuck to it, even after the horsemen, had riddenoff. Neither of the dogs had seen the lion, until the moment when thesavage brute charged forward, and was making for the kraal. The shots, the growling of the lion, and the loud wings of the vultures as theyflew off affrighted, told the dogs that something was going on in front, at which they ought to be present; and, forsaking their pleasant meal, both came bounding over the walls. 

They reached the open space in front, just as the lion leaped into thedoor; and without hesitation the brave noble animals rushed on, andfollowed him inside the house. 

For some moments there was heard a confused chorus of noises--thebarking and worrying of the dogs, the growling and roaring of the lion. Then a dull sound followed as of some heavy object dashed against thewall. Then came a mournful howl--another, another--a noise like thecracking of bones--the "purr" of the great brute with its loud roughbass--and then a deep silence. The struggle was over. This wasevident, as the dogs no longer gave tongue. Most likely they werekilled. 

The hunters remained watching the door with feelings of intense anxiety. The laugh had died upon their lips, as they listened to those hideoussounds, the signs of the fearful combat. They called their dogs byname. They hoped to see them issue forth, even if wounded. But no. The dogs came not forth--they never came forth--they were dead!

A long-continued silence followed the noise of the conflict. Von Bloomcould no longer doubt that his favourite and only dogs had been killed. 

Excited by this new misfortune he almost lost prudence. He was about torush forward to the door, where he might deliver his fire close to thehated enemy, when a bright idea came into the brain of Swartboy; and theBushman was heard calling out, --

"Baas! baas! we shut him up! we close da skellum up. "

There was good sense in this suggestion--there was plausibility in it. Von Bloom saw this; and, desisting from his previous intention, hedetermined to adopt Swartboy's plan. 

But how was it to be executed? The door still hung upon its hinges, asalso the window-shutter. If they could only get hold of these, and shutthem fast, they would have the lion secure, and might destroy him attheir leisure. 

But how to shut either door or window in safety? That was thedifficulty that now presented itself. 

Should they approach either, the lion would be certain to see them fromwithin; and, enraged as he now was, would be sure to spring upon them. Even if they approached on horseback to effect their purpose, they wouldnot be much safer. The horses would not stand quiet while theystretched out to lay hold of latch or handle. All three of the animalswere already dancing with excitement. They knew the lion was inside, anoccasional growl announced his presence there--they would not approacheither door or window with sufficient coolness; and their stamping andsnorting would have the effect of bringing the angry beast out uponthem. 

It was clear, then, that to shut either door or window would be anoperation of great danger. So long as the horsemen were in open ground, and at some distance from the lion, they had no cause to fear; butshould they approach near and get entangled among the walls, some one ofthem would be most likely to fall a victim to the ferocious brute. 

Low as may be the standard of a Bushman's intellect, there is a speciesof it peculiar to him in which he appears to excel. In all matters ofhunter-craft, his intelligence, or instinct you might almost call it, isquite a match for the more highly--developed mind of the Caucasian. This arises, no doubt, from the keen and frequent exercise of thoseparticular faculties, --keen and frequent, because his very existenceoften depends on their successful employment. 

Huge ill-shapen head as Swartboy carried on his shoulders, there was anample stock of brains in it; and a life of keen endeavour to keep hisstomach supplied had taught him their exercise. At that momentSwartboy's brains came to the relief of the party. 

"Baas!" he said, endeavouring to restrain the impatience of his master, "vyacht um bige, mein baas! Leave it to da ole Bushy to close da door. He do it. "

"How?" inquired Von Bloom. 

"Vyacht um bige, mein baas! no long to wait, --you see. "

All three had ridden up together within less than an hundred yards ofthe kraal. Von Bloom and Hendrik sat silent, and watched theproceedings of the Bushman. 

The latter drew from his pocket a clew of small cord, and, havingcarefully uncoiled it, attached one end to an arrow. He then rode up towithin thirty yards of the house, and dismounted--not directly oppositethe entrance, but a little to the one side--so that the face of thewooden door, which was fortunately but three-quarters open, was thusfair before him. Keeping the bridle over his arm, he now bent his bow, and sent the arrow into the woodwork of the door. There it was, sticking near the edge, and just under the latch!

As soon as Swartboy delivered the shaft, he had leaped back into hissaddle--to be ready for retreat in case the lion should spring out. Hestill, however, kept hold of the string, one end of which was attachedto the arrow. 

The "thud" of the arrow, as it struck the door, had drawn the attentionof the lion. Of course, none of them saw him, but his angry growl toldthem that it was so. He did not show himself, however, and was againsilent. 

Swartboy now drew the string taut, --first felt it with a steady pull;and then, satisfied of its strength, gave it a stronger jerk, andbrought the door to. The latch acted beautifully, and the door remainedshut even after the strain was taken off the cord. 

To have opened the door now the lion must have had the sagacity to liftthe latch, or else must have broken through the thick, strong planks--neither of which was to be feared. 

But the window still remained open, and through it the lion could easilyleap out. Swartboy, of course, designed closing it in the same manneras he had done the door. 

But now arose a particular danger. He had only one piece of cord. Thatwas attached to the arrow that still stuck fast. How was he to detachand get possession of it?

There appeared to be no other way but by going up to the door andcutting it from the shaft. In this lay the danger; for, should the lionperceive him and rush out by the window, it would be all over with theBushman. 

Like most of his race, Swartboy was more cunning than brave--though hewas far from being a coward. Still he was by no means inclined at thatmoment to go up to the door of the kraal. 

The angry growls from within would have made a stouter heart thanSwartboy's quail with fear. 

In this dilemma Hendrik came to his relief. Hendrik had conceived a wayof getting possession of the string, without going near the door!

Calling to Swartboy to be on his guard, he rode within thirty yards ofthe entrance--but on the other side from where Swartboy was--and therehalted. At the place there stood a post with several forks upon it, that had been used as a bridle-post. 

Hendrik dismounted, hooked his rein over one of these forks; rested hisyager across another; and then, sighting the shaft of the arrow, pulledtrigger. The rifle cracked, the broken stick was seen to fly out fromthe door, and the string was set free!

All were ready to gallop off; but the lion, although he growled fiercelyon hearing the shot, still lay close. 

Swartboy now drew in the string; and, having adjusted it to a fresharrow, moved round so as to command a view of the window. In a fewminutes the shaft had cut through the air and stuck deep into theyielding wood, and then the shutter swung round on its hinges and wasdrawn close. 

All three now dismounted ran silently and rapidly up, and secured bothdoor and shutter with strong reins of raw-hide. 

Hurrah! the lion was caged!

CHAPTER ELEVEN. 

THE DEATH OF THE LION. 

Yes, the fierce brute was fairly in the trap. The three huntersbreathed freely. 

But how was the affair to end? Both door and window-shutter fittedstrongly and closely; and, although it was possible to glance throughthe chinks, nothing could be seen inside--since, both being shut, it wasquite dark within. 

Even could the lion have been seen, there was no hole through which tothrust the muzzle of a gun and fire at him. He was just as safe as hiscaptors; and, so long as the door remained closed, they could do him nomore harm than he could them!

They might leave him shut up, and let him starve. He could live for awhile upon what the jackals had left, with the carcasses of the twodogs, but that would not sustain him long, and in the end he would haveto give up and miserably perish. After all, this did not seem socertain to Von Bloom and his companions. Finding that he was caged inearnest, the brute might attack the door, and with his sharp claws andteeth manage to cut his way through. 

But the angry field-cornet had not the slightest intention of leavingthe lion such a chance. He was determined to destroy the beast beforeleaving the ground; and he now set to thinking how this could beaccomplished in the speediest and most effectual manner. 

At first he thought of cutting a hole in the door with his knife, largeenough to see through and admit the barrel of his roer. Should he notsucceed in getting a view of the beast through that one, he would makeanother in the window-shutter. The two being on adjacent sides of thehouse, would give him the command of the whole interior--for the formerdwelling of the field-cornet comprised only a single apartment. Duringhis residence there, there had been two, thanks to a partition ofzebra-skins; but these had been removed, and all was now in one room. 

At first Von Bloom could think of no other plan to get at the enemy, andyet this one did not quite please him. It was safe enough, and, ifcarried out, could only end in the death of the lion. 

A hole in both door and window-shutter would enable them to fire at thebrute as many bullets as they pleased, while they would be quite securefrom his attack. But the _time_ that would be required to cut theseholes--that was why the plan did not please the field-cornet. He andhis party had no time to spare: their horses were weak with hunger, anda long journey lay before them ere a morsel could be obtained. No, --thetime could not be spared for making a breach. Some more expeditiousmode of attack must be devised. 

"Father, " said Hendrik, "suppose we set the house on fire?"

Good. The suggestion was a good one. Von Bloom cast his eyes up to theroof--a sloping structure with long eaves. It consisted of heavy beamsof dry wood with rafters and laths, and all covered over with a thatchof rushes, a foot in thickness. It would make a tremendous blaze, andthe smoke would be likely enough to suffocate the lion even before theblaze could get at him. The suggestion of Hendrik was adopted. Theyprepared to fire the house. 

There was still a large quantity of rubbish, --the collected firewoodwhich the locusts had not devoured. This would enable them to carry outtheir purpose; and all three immediately set about hauling it up, andpiling it against the door. 

One might almost have fancied that the lion had fathomed their design;for, although he had been for a long while quite silent, he nowcommenced a fresh spell of roaring. Perhaps the noise of the logs, striking against the door outside, had set him at it; and, findinghimself thus shut up and baited, he had grown impatient. What he hadsought as a _shelter_ had been turned into a _trap_, and he was nowanxious to get out of it. This was evident by the demonstrations hebegan to make. They could hear him rushing about--passing from door towindow--striking both with his huge paws, and causing them to shake upontheir hinges--all the while uttering the most fiendish roars. 

Though not without some apprehensions, the three continued their work. They had their horses at hand, ready to be mounted in case the lionmight make his way through the fire. In fact, they intended to take totheir saddles--as soon as the fire should be fairly under way--and watchthe conflagration from a safe distance. 

They had dragged up all the bush and dry wood, and had piled them infront of the door. Swartboy had taken out his flint and steel, and wasabout to strike, when a loud scratching was heard from the inside, unlike anything that had yet reached their ears. It was the rattling ofthe lion's claws against the wall, but it had an odd sound as if theanimal was struggling violently; at the same time his voice seemedhoarse and smothered, and appeared to come from a distance. 

What was the brute doing?

They stood for a moment, looking anxiously in each other's faces. Thescratching continued--the hoarse growling at intervals--but this endedat length; and then came a snort, followed by a roar so loud and clear, that all three started in airtight. They could not believe that trailswere between them and their dangerous enemy!

Again echoed that horrid cry. Great Heaven! It proceeded no longerfrom the inside--it came from above them! Was the lion upon the roof?All three rushed backward a step or two, and looked up. A sight wasbefore them that rendered them almost speechless with surprise andterror. Above the funnel of the chimney appeared the head of the lion;his glaring yellow eyes and white teeth showing more fearful fromcontrast with the black soot that begrimed him. He was dragging hisbody up. One foot was already above the capstone; and with this and histeeth he was widening the aperture around him. 

It was a terrible sight to behold--at least to those below. 

As already stated, they _were_ alarmed; and would have taken to theirhorses, had they not perceived that the animal had _stuck fast_!

It was evident that this was the case, but it was equally evident thatin a few moments he would succeed in clearing himself from the chimney. His teeth and claws were hard at work, and the stones and mortar wereflying in all directions. The funnel would soon be down below his broadchest, and then--

Von Bloom did not stay to think what then. He and Hendrik, guns inhand, ran up near the bottom of the wall. The chimney was but a scoreof feet in height; the long roer was pointed upward, reaching nearlyhalf that distance. The yager was also aimed. Both cracked together. The lion's eyes suddenly closed, his head shook convulsively, his pawdropped loose over the capstone, his jaws fell open, and blood trickleddown his tongue. In a few moments he was dead!

This was apparent to every one. But Swartboy was not satisfied, untilhe had discharged about a score of his arrows at the head of the animal, causing it to assume the appearance of a porcupine. 

So tightly had the huge beast wedged himself, that even after death hestill remained in his singular situation. 

Under other circumstances he would have been dragged down for the sakeof his skin. But there was no time to spare for skinning him; andwithout further delay, Von Bloom and his companions mounted their horsesand rode off. 

CHAPTER TWELVE. 

A TALK ABOUT LIONS. 

As they rode back they conversed about lions, to beguile the time. Allof them knew something about these animals; but Swartboy, who had beenborn and brought up in the bush, in the very midst of their haunts as itwere, of course was well acquainted with their habits--ay, far betterthan Monsieur Buffon himself. 

To describe the personal appearance of a lion would be to waste words. Every one of my readers must know the lion by sight, either from havingseen one in a zoological collection, or the stuffed skin of one in amuseum. Every one knows the form of the animal, and his great shaggymane. Every one knows, moreover, that the lioness is without thisappendage, and in shape and size differs considerably from the male. 

Though there are not two _species_ of lions, there are what are termed_varieties_, but these differ very little from each other--far less thanthe varieties of most other animals. 

There are seven acknowledged varieties. The Barbary lion, the lion ofSenegal, the Indian lion, the Persian, the yellow Cape, the black Cape, and the maneless lion. 

The difference among these animals is not so great, but that at a glanceany one may tell they were all of one species and kind. The Persianvariety is rather smaller than the others; the Barbary is of darkerbrown and heavily maned; the lion of Senegal is of light shining yellowcolour, and thinly maned; while the maneless lion, as its name imports, is without this appendage. The existence of the last species is doubtedby some naturalists. It is said to be found in Syria. 

The two Cape lions differ principally in the colour of the mane. In theone it is black or dark brown--in the other of a tawny yellow, like therest of the body. 

Of all lions, those of South Africa are perhaps the largest, and theblack variety the most fierce and dangerous. 

Lions inhabit the whole continent of Africa, and the southern countriesof Asia. They were once common in parts of Europe, where they exist nolonger. There are no lions in America. The animal known inSpanish-American countries as the lion (_leon_) is the cougar or puma(_Felis concolor_), which is not one-third the lion's size, andresembles the king of beasts only in being of the same tawny colour. The puma is not unlike a lion's cub six months old. 

Africa is peculiarly the country of the lion. He is found throughoutthe whole extent of that continent--excepting of course a few thicklyinhabited spots, from which he has been expelled by man. 

The lion has been called the "king of the forest. " This appears to be amisnomer. He is not properly a _forest_ animal. He cannot climb trees, and therefore in the forest would less easily procure his food than inthe open plain. The panther, the leopard, and the jaguar, are alltree-climbers. They can follow the bird to its roost, and the monkey toits perch. The forest is their appropriate home. They are forestanimals. Not so the lion. It is upon the open plains--where the greatruminants love to roam, and among the low bushy thickets that skirtthem, that the lion affects to dwell. 

He lives upon flesh, --the flesh of many kinds of animals, though he hashis favourites, according to the country in which he is found. He killsthese animals for himself. The story of the jackal being his"provider, "--killing them for him, --is not true. More frequently hehimself provides the skulking jackals with a meal. Hence their beingoften seen in his company--which they keep, in order to pick up his"crumbs. "

The lion "butchers" for himself, though he will not object to have itdone for him; and will take away their game from wolf, jackal, orhyena--from the hunter if he can. 

The lion is not a fast runner--none of the true _felidae_ are. Nearlyall the ruminant animals can outrun him. How, then, does he capturethem?

By stratagem, by the suddenness of his attack, and by the length andvelocity of his bound. He lies in wait, or steals upon them. Hesprings from his crouching place. His peculiar anatomical structureenables him to spring to an immense distance--in fact, to an almostincredible distance. Sixteen paces have been alleged by writers, whosay they were eye-witnesses, and carefully measured the leap!

Should he fail to capture his prey at the first bound, the lion followsit no farther, but turns and trots away in an opposite direction. 

Sometimes, however, the intended victim tempts him to a second spring, and even to a third; but failing then, he is sure to give up thepursuit. 

The lion is not gregarious, although as many as ten or a dozen are oftenseen together. They hunt in company at times, and drive the gametowards one another!

They attack and destroy all other species of animals that inhabit thecountry around them--even the strong heavy rhinoceros is not feared bythem, though the latter frequently foils and conquers them. Youngelephants sometimes become their prey. The fierce buffalo, the giraffe, the oryx, the huge eland, and the eccentric gnoo, all have to succumb totheir superior strength and armature. 

But they are not universally victorious over these animals. Sometimesthey are vanquished by one or other of them, and in turn become victims. Sometimes both combatants leave their bodies upon the scene of thestruggle. 

The lion is not hunted as a profession. His spoils are worthless. Hisskin sells for but little, and he yields no other trophy of any value. As hunting him is attended with great danger, and the hunter, as alreadystated, may avoid him if he wishes, but few lions would be destroyed, were it not for a certain offensive habit to which they are addicted--that of robbing the vee-boor of his horses and his cattle. This bringsa new passion into play, --the vengeance of the farmer; and with such amotive to urge on the hunt, the lion in some parts is chased with greatzeal and assiduity. 

But where there are no cattle-farms, no such motive exists; and therebut little interest is felt in the chase of this animal. Nay, what isstill stranger: the Bushmen and other poor wandering tribes do not killthe lion at all, or very seldom. They do not regard him with feelingsof hostility. The lion acts towards _them_ as a "provider!"

Hendrik, who had heard of this, asked Swartboy if it was true. 

The Bushman answered at once in the affirmative. 

His people, he said, were in the habit of watching the lion, orfollowing his spoor, until they came upon either himself, or the quarryhe had killed. Sometimes the vultures guided them to it. When the"tao" chanced to be on the spot, or had not yet finished his meal, histrackers would wait, until he had taken his departure, after which theywould steal up and appropriate what remained of the spoil. Often thiswould be the half, or perhaps three parts of some large animal, whichthey might have found a difficulty in killing for themselves. 

Knowing the lion will rarely attack them, the Bushmen are not muchafraid of these animals. On the contrary, they rather rejoice at seeingthem numerous in their district, as they are then provided with huntersable to _furnish_ them with food!

CHAPTER THIRTEEN. 

THE TRAVELLERS BENIGHTED. 

Our travellers would have talked much more about lions, but for thecondition of their horses. This made them feel uneasy. With theexception of a few hours grazing, the poor brutes had been without foodsince the appearance of the locusts. Horses do not travel well uponsoft grass, and of course they were now suffering severely. 

It would be far in the night before the horsemen could reach the camp--although they were pushing on as fast as the horses could travel. 

It was quite dark, when they arrived at the spot where they had haltedthe previous evening. In fact, it was very dark. Neither moon norstars were to be seen in the sky; and thick black clouds covered thewhole canopy of the heavens. It looked as though a rain-storm might beexpected--still no rain had as yet fallen. 

It was the intention of the travellers to halt at this place, and lettheir horses graze a while. With this view they all dismounted; but, after trying one or two places, they could find no grass!

This appeared strange, as they had certainly observed grass at that veryspot the day before. Now there was none!

The horses put their noses to the ground, but raised them up again, snorting as they did so, and evidently disappointed. They were hungryenough to have eaten grass had there been any, for they eagerly snatchedat the leaves of the bushes as they passed along!

Had the locusts been there also? No. The mimosa-bushes still retainedtheir delicate foliage, which would not have been the case had thelocusts visited the spot. 

Our travellers were astonished that there was no grass. Surely therewas some the day before? Had they got upon a new track?

The darkness prevented them from having a view of the ground; yet VonBloom could not be mistaken about the route--having travelled it fourtimes already. Though he could not see the surface, every now and againhe caught a glimpse of some tree or bush, which he had marked in hisformer journeys, and these assured him they were still upon the righttrack. 

Surprised at the absence of grass where they had so lately observed it, they would have examined the surface more carefully; but they wereanxious to push on to the spring, and at length gave up the idea ofhalting. The water in their gourds had been used up long before this;and both they and their horses were once more suffering from thirst. 

Besides, Von Bloom was not without some anxiety about the children atthe wagon. He had been separated from them now a full day and a half, and many a change might take place--many a danger might arise in thattime. In fact, he began to blame himself for having left them alone. It would have been better to have let his cattle perish. So thought henow. A presentiment that all was not right was gradually forming in hismind; and he grew more anxious to proceed as he reflected. 

They rode on in silence. It was only on Hendrik expressing a doubtabout the way, that the conversation recommenced. Swartboy also thoughtthey were taking a wrong course. 

At first Von Bloom assured them they were right: but after going alittle farther, he admitted that he was in doubt; and then, afteranother half-mile's travelling, he declared that he had lost the track. He could no longer recognise any one of the marks or bearings he hadtaken. 

The proper thing to be done under these circumstances was to leave thehorses to themselves; and this all three well knew. But the animalswere suffering the pangs of hunger, and when left to themselves, wouldnot journey forward, but rushed up to the mimosa-bushes, and eagerlycommenced devouring their leaves. 

The consequence was, that their riders were obliged to keep them goingwith whip and spur; and in that way there was no certainty of the horsestaking the right direction. 

After several hours' advancing, all the while in a state of suspense, and as yet no appearance of either wagon or camp-fire, the travellersresolved upon coming to a halt. It was of no use going forward. Theybelieved they could not be far from the camp; but they were now aslikely to be riding _from_ as _towards_ it; and they concluded atlength, that it would be wiser to remain where they were until the daybroke. 

They all dismounted therefore, and fastened their horses to the bushes--so that the animals could browse upon the leaves till morning--whichcould not now be very far off. They rolled themselves up in theirkarosses, and lay down upon the earth. 

Hendrik and Swartboy were soon asleep. Von Bloom would have slept too, for he was tired enough; but the heart of the father was too full ofanxiety to allow repose to his eyes, and he lay awake watching for thedawn. 

It came at length, and at the first light his eyes swept the surface ofthe surrounding country. The party had by chance halted on an eminencethat commanded a good view for miles on each side, but the field-cornethad not glanced half around the circle, when an object came before hiseyes that brought gladness to his heart. It was the white tent of thewagon!

The joyful exclamation he uttered awoke the sleepers, who immediatelysprang to their feet; and all three stood gazing at the welcome sight. 

As they continued to gaze, their joy gradually gave place to feelings ofsurprise. Was it _their_ wagon, after all?

It certainly looked like theirs; but it was a full half-mile off, and atsuch a distance one wagon would look just like another. But what ledthem to doubt its being theirs? It was the _appearance of the place inwhich they saw it_. Surely it was not the same place in which they hadoutspanned!

Theirs had been left in an oblong valley between two gentle ridges--insuch a valley was this one standing. Near a small pool formed by aspring--here, too, was the same, for they could perceive the watershining. But in all other respects the situation was different. Thesurface of the valley in which their wagon had been left was covered, both sides and bottom, with a verdant carpet of grass; whereas the onenow before their eyes was brown and bare! not a blade of grass was to beseen--the trees seeming to be the only things that had any verdure. Even the low bushes appeared to be destitute of leaves! The scene hadno resemblance whatever to that where they had outspanned. It must bethe camp of some other travellers, thought they. 

They had fully arrived at this conclusion, when Swartboy, whose eyes hadbeen rolling about everywhere, now rested upon the ground at his feet. After a moment's observation--which the increasing light now enabled himto make--he turned suddenly to the others, and directed their attentionto the surface of the plain. This they saw was covered with tracks, asif a thousand hoofs had passed over it. In fact, it presented theappearance of a vast sheep-pen; so vast, that as far as their sightextended, they beheld the same tracked and trampled appearance!

What could this mean? Hendrik did not know. Von Bloom was in doubt. Swartboy could tell at the first glance. It was no new sight to him. 

"All right, baas, " he said, looking up in his master's face. "Da's daole wagon!--da same spring an' vley--da same place--dar hab been um_trek-boken_!"

"A trek-boken!" cried Von Bloom and Hendrik, in a breath. 

"Ya, baas--a mighty big one too; das de spoor of dem antelope--See!"

Von Bloom now comprehended all. The bareness of the country, theabsence of the leaves on the lower bushes, the millions of smallhoof-tracks, all were now explained. A migration of the springbokantelope, a "trek-boken, " had swept over the spot. That it was that hadcaused such a mighty change. The wagon they saw was theirs, after all. 

They lost no time, but, catching their horses, bridled them, and roderapidly down the hill. 

Though somewhat relieved at seeing the wagon, Von Bloom was stillapprehensive. 

As they approached, they perceived the two horses standing beside it, and tied to the wheels, the cow also was there--but neither goats norsheep were in the neighbourhood. 

There was a fire burning in the rear of the hind-wheels, and a dark massunderneath the wagon, but no human form could be observed. 

The hearts of the horsemen beat loudly as they advanced. Their eyeswere bent earnestly upon the wagon. They felt keen anxiety. 

They had got within three hundred yards, and still no one stirred--nohuman form made its appearance. Von Bloom and Hendrik now sufferedintensely. 

At this moment the two horses by the wagon neighed loudly; the dark massunder the wagon moved, rolled outward, rose up, and stood erect. Tottywas recognised!

And now the "after-clap" of the wagon was hurriedly drawn aside, andthree young faces were seen peeping forth. 

A shout of joy burst from the horsemen, and the next moment little Janand Truey leaped out from the cap-tent into the arms of their father--while the mutual congratulations of Hans and Hendrik, Swartboy andTotty, produced for some moments a scene of joyful confusion quiteindescribable. 

CHAPTER FOURTEEN. 

THE "TREK-BOKEN. "

Those who remained by the camp had had their adventures too; and theirtale was by no means a merry one, for it disclosed the unpleasant fact, that the sheep and goats were all lost. The flock had been carried off, in a most singular manner; and there was but little hope of their everbeing seen again. 

Hans began his tale:--

"Nothing unusual occurred on the day you left us. I was busy all theafternoon in cutting `wait-a-bit' thorns for a kraal. Totty helped meto drag them up, while Jan and Truey looked after the flock. Theanimals did not stray out of the valley here, as the grass was good, andthey had had enough of trotting lately. 

"Well--Totty and I got the kraal, as you see, all ready. So, when nightcame, we drove the flock in; and, after milking the cow and getting oursupper, we all went to bed. We were precious tired, and all of us sleptsoundly throughout the night without being disturbed. Both jackals andhyenas came around, but we knew they would not break into that kraal. "

Hans pointed to the circular enclosure of thorn-bushes, that had beenwell constructed. 

He then proceeded with his narration:--

"In the morning we found everything right. Totty again milked the cow;and we had breakfast. The flock was let out upon the grass, and so werethe cow and the two horses. 

"Just about midday I began to think what we were to have for dinner, forthe breakfast had cleared up everything. I did not like to kill anothersheep, if it could be helped. So bidding Jan and Truey stay close bythe wagon, and leaving Totty to look after the flock, I took my gun andstarted off in search of game. I took no horse, for I thought I sawspringboks out on the plain; and I would stalk them better afoot. 

"Sure enough, there _were_ springboks. When I got out of the valleyhere, and had a better view, I saw what astonished me, I can assure you. 

"I could scarce credit my eyes. The whole plain, towards the west, appeared to be one vast crowd of animals; and by their bright yellowsides, and the snow-white hair on their rumps, I knew they werespringboks. They were all in motion, some browsing along, whilehundreds of them were constantly bounding up into the air full ten feethigh, and leaping a-top of each other. I assure you all it was tone ofthe strangest sights I ever beheld, and one of the pleasantest too; forI knew that the creatures that covered the plain, instead of beingfierce wild beasts, were nothing but graceful and beautiful littlegazelles. 

"My first thought was to get near them, and have a shot; and I was aboutto start off over the plain, when I perceived that the antelopes werecoming towards me. I saw that they were approaching with considerablerapidity; and if I only remained where I was, they would save me thetrouble of stalking in upon them. I lay down behind a bush and waited. 

"I had not very long to wait. In less than a quarter of an hour theforemost of the herd drew near, and in five minutes more a score of themwere within shot. 

"I did not fire for some time. I knew they would come still nearer; andI lay watching the motions of those pretty creatures. I took notice oftheir light handsome forms, their smooth slender limbs, theircinnamon-coloured backs, and white bellies, with the band of chestnutalong each side. I looked at the lyre-shaped horns of the bucks, andabove all, at the singular flaps on their croup, that unfolded each timethat they leaped up, displaying a profusion of long silky hair, as whiteas snow itself. 

"All these points I noticed, and at length, tired of admiring them, Isingled out a fine-looking doe--for I was thinking of my dinner, andknew that doe-venison was the most palatable. 

"After aiming carefully, I fired. The doe fell, but, to myastonishment, the others did not run off. A few of the foremost onlygalloped back a bit, or bounded up into the air; but they again set tobrowsing quite unconcerned, and the main body advanced as before!

"I loaded as quickly as I could, and brought down another, --this time abuck--but as before without frightening the rest!

"I proceeded to load for the third time; but before I had finished, thefront ranks had passed on both sides of me, and I found myself in themidst of the herd!

"I saw no need for covering myself any longer behind the bush, but roseto my knees, and, firing at the nearest, brought it down also. Itscomrades did not pause, but ran over its body in thousands!

"I loaded again, and stood right up on my feet. 

"Now for the first time it occurred to me to reflect on the strangeconduct of the springboks; for, instead of making off at my appearance, they only bounded a little to one side, and then kept on their course. They seemed possessed by a species of infatuation. I remembered hearingthat such was their way when upon one of their migrations, or`trek-bokens. ' This, then, thought I, must be a `trek-boken. '

"I was soon convinced of this, for the herd every moment grew thickerand thicker around me, until at length they became so crowded, that Ibegan to feel very singularly situated. Not that I was afraid of thecreatures, as they made no demonstration of using their horns upon me. On the contrary, they did all they could to get out of my way. But thenearest only were alarmed; and, as my presence in no way terrified thosethat were an hundred yards off, the latter made no attempt to giveground. Of course the nearest ones could only get a few paces from me, by pushing the others closer, or springing up over their backs--so thatwith the ones thus constantly bounding up into the air there was all thetime a ring around me two deep!

"I cannot describe the strange feelings I had in this unusual situation, or how long I might have kept my place. Perhaps I might have loaded andfired away for some time, but just at the moment the sheep came into mymind. 

"They'll be carried away, thought I. I had heard that such a thing wascommon enough. 

"I saw that the antelopes were heading towards the valley--the foremostwere already into it, and would soon be on the spot, where I had justseen our little flock feeding!

"In hopes of yet heading the springboks, and driving the sheep into thekraal, before the former crowded on them, I started towards the valley. But, to my chagrin, I could get no faster than the herd was going!

"As I approached the creatures, to make my way through their mass, theyleaped about and sprang over one another, but could not for their livesopen a way for me as fast as I wanted one. I was so near some of themthat I could have knocked them down with my gun!

"I commenced hallooing, and, brandishing the gun about, I was making alane more rapidly, when I perceived in front what appeared to be a largeopen space. I pushed forward for this, but the nearer I came to itsborder the more densely I found the creatures packed. I could only seethat it was an open space by leaping up. I did not know what wascausing it. I did not stay to reflect. I only wished to get forward asrapidly as possible, thinking about our flock. 

"I continued to clear my way, and at length found myself in the positionI had coveted; while the lane I had made, in getting there, closedinstantaneously behind me. I was about to rush on, and take advantageof the bit of clear ground, when, what should I see in the centre, anddirectly before me, but a great yellow lion!

"That accounted for the break in the herd. Had I known what had beencausing it, I should have fought my way in any other direction but that;but there was I, out in the open ground, the lion not ten paces from me, and a fence of springboks two deep around both of us!

"I need not say I was frightened, and badly too. I did not for somemoments know how to act. My gun was still loaded--for, after thinkingof saving our little flock, I did not care to empty it at the antelopes. I could get one, thought I, at any time when I had secured the sheep inthe kraal. The piece, therefore, was loaded and with bullets. 

"Should I take aim at the lion, and fire? I asked myself this question, and was just on the point of deciding in the affirmative, when Ireflected that it would be imprudent. I observed that the lion, whoseback was turned to me, had either not seen, or as yet took no notice ofme. Should I only wound him--and from the position he was in I was notlikely to do more, --how then? I would most likely be torn to pieces. 

"These were my reflections, all of which scarce occupied a second oftime. I was about to `back out' or back in among the springboks, andmake my way in some other direction, and had even got near the edge, when, in looking over my shoulder, I saw the lion suddenly halt and turnround. I halted too, knowing that to be the safest plan; and, as I didso, I glanced back at the lion's eyes. 

"To my relief, I saw they were not upon _me_. He seemed to have takensome fancy in his head. His appetite, perhaps, had returned; for thenext moment he ran a few yards, and then, rising with a terrific bound, launched himself far into the herd, and came down right upon the back ofone of the antelopes! The others sprang right and left, and a new spacewas soon opened around him. 

"He was now nearer than ever to where I stood, and I could see himdistinctly crouched over his victim. His claws held its quivering body, and his long teeth grasped the poor creature by the neck. But, with theexception of his tail, he was making not the slightest motion, and thatvibrated gently from side to side, just as a kitten that had caught atiny mouse. I could see, too, that his eyes were close shut, as thoughhe were asleep!

"Now I had heard that under such circumstances the lion may beapproached without much danger. Not that I wished to go any nearer--forI was near enough for my gun--but it was this recollection, I believe, that put me in the notion of firing. At all events, something whisperedme I would succeed, and I could not resist trying. 

"The broad blind jaw of the brute was fair before me. I took aim, andpulled trigger; but, instead of waiting to see the effect of my shot, Iran right off in an opposite direction. 

"I did not halt till I had put several _acres_ of antelopes betweenmyself and the place where I had last stood; and then I made the best ofmy way to the wagon. 

"Long before I had reached it, I could see that Jan, and Truey, andTotty, were safe under the tent. That gave me pleasure, but I also sawthat the sheep and goats had got mixed up with the springboks, and weremoving off with them as if they belonged to the same species! I fearthey are all lost. "

"And the lion?" inquired Hendrik. 

"Yonder he lies!" answered Hans, modestly pointing to a yellow mass outupon the plain, over which the vultures were already beginning to hover. "Yonder he lies, you could hardly have done it better yourself, brotherHendrik. "

As Hans said this, he smiled in such a manner as to show, that he had noidea of making a boast of his achievements. 

Hendrik was loud in acknowledging that it was a most splendid feat, andalso in regretting that he had not been on the ground to witness thewonderful migration of the springboks. 

But there was no time for much idle talk. Von Bloom and his party werein a very unpleasant situation. His flocks were all gone. The cow andhorses alone remained; and for these not a blade of grass had been leftby the antelopes. Upon what were they to be fed?

To follow the spoor of the migratory springboks with the hope ofrecovering their flock would be quite useless. Swartboy assured them ofthis. The poor animals might be carried hundreds of miles before theycould separate themselves from the great herd, or bring theirinvoluntary journey to an end!

The horses could travel but little farther. There was nought to feedthem on but the leaves of the mimosas, and this was but poor food forhungry horses. It would be fortunate if they could be kept alive untilthey should reach some pasture; and where now was pasture to be found?Locusts and antelopes between them seemed to have turned all Africa intoa desert!

The field-cornet soon formed his resolution. He would remain there forthe night, and early on the morrow set out in search of some otherspring. 

Fortunately Hans had not neglected to secure a brace of the springboks;and their fat venison now came into general use. A roast of that, and adrink of cool water from the spring, soon refreshed the three weariedtravellers. 

The horses were let loose among the mimosa-trees, and allowed to shiftfor themselves; and although under ordinary circumstances they wouldhave "turned up their noses" at such food as mimosa-leaves, they nowturned them up in a different sense, and cleared the thorny brancheslike so many giraffes. 

Some naturalist of the "Buffon" school has stated that neither wolf, fox, hyena, nor jackal, will eat the carcass of a lion, --that their fearof the royal despot continues even after his death. 

The field-cornet and his family had proof of the want of truth in thisassertion. Before many hours both jackals and hyenas attacked thecarcass of the king of beasts, and in a very short while there was not amorsel of him there but his bones. Even his tawny skin was swallowed bythese ravenous creatures, and many of the bones broken by the strongjaws of the hyenas. The respect which these brutes entertain for thelion ends with his life. When dead, he is eaten by them with as muchaudacity as if he were the meanest of animals. 

CHAPTER FIFTEEN. 

SPOORING FOR A SPRING. 

Von Bloom was in the saddle at an early hour. Swartboy accompanied him, while all the others remained by the wagon to await his return. Theytook with them the two horses that had remained by the wagon, as thesewere fresher than the others. 

They rode nearly due westward. They were induced to take this directionby observing that the springboks had come from the north. By headingwestward they believed they would sooner get beyond the wastedterritory. 

To their great satisfaction an hour's travelling carried them clear ofthe track of the antelope migration; and although they found no water, there was excellent grass. 

The field-cornet now sent Swartboy back for the other horses and thecow, pointing out a place where he should bring them to graze, while hehimself continued on in search of water. 

After travelling some miles farther, Von Bloom perceived to the north ofhim a long line of cliff rising directly up from the plain, and runningwestward as far as he could see. Thinking that water would be morelikely to be found near these cliffs, he turned his horse's head towardsthem. As he approached nearer to their base, he was charmed with thebeautiful scenery that began to open before his eyes. He passed throughgrassy plains of different sizes, separated from each other by copses ofthe delicate-leaved mimosa; some of these forming large thickets, whileothers consisted of only a few low bushes. Towering high over themimosas, grew many trees of gigantic size, and of a species Von Bloomhad never seen before. They stood thinly upon the ground; but each, with its vast leafy head, seemed a little forest of itself. 

The whole country around had a soft park-like appearance, whichcontrasted well with the dark cliff that rose beyond--the latterstepping up from the plain by a precipice of several hundred feet inheight, and seemingly as vertical as the walls of a house. 

The fine landscape was gratifying to the eyes of the traveller--such afine country in the midst of so much barrenness; for he knew that mostof the surrounding region was little better than a wild karoo. Thewhole of it to the north for hundreds of miles was a famous desert--thedesert of Kalihari--and these cliffs were a part of its southern border. The "vee-boor" would have been rejoiced at such a sight under othercircumstances. But what to him now were all these fine pastures--nowthat he was no longer able to stock them?

Notwithstanding the beauty of the scene, his reflections were painful. 

But he did not give way to despair. His present troubles weresufficiently grievous to prevent him from dwelling much on the future. His first care was to find a place where his horses might be recruited;for without them he could no longer move anywhere--without them he wouldbe helpless indeed. 

Water was the desired object. If water could not be found, all thisbeautiful park through which he was passing would be as valueless to himas the brown desert. 

Surely so lovely a landscape could not exist without that most essentialelement!

So thought the field-cornet; and at the turning of every new grove hiseyes wandered over the ground in search of it. 

"_Ho_!" he joyfully exclaimed as a covey of large Namaqua partridgeswhirred up from his path. "A good sign that: _they_ are seldom far fromwater. "

Shortly after, he saw a flock of beautiful pintados, or guinea-hens, running into a copse. This was a still further proof that water wasnigh. But surest of all, on the top of a tall _cameel-doorn_ tree, henext observed the brilliant plumage of a parrot. 

"Now, " muttered he to himself, "I must be very near to some spring orpool. "

He rode cheerfully forward: and after a little while arrived upon thecrest of an elevated ridge. Here he halted to observe the flight of thebirds. Presently he noticed a covey of partridges flying in a westerlydirection, and shortly after, another covey going the same way. Bothappeared to alight near a gigantic tree that grew in the plain aboutfive hundred yards from the bottom of the cliffs. This tree stood apartfrom any of the others, and was by far the largest Von Bloom had yetseen. 

As he remained gazing at its wonderful dimensions, he observed severalpairs of parrots alighting upon it. These, after chattering a whileamong its branches, flew down upon the plain not far from its base. 

"Surely, " thought Von Bloom, "there must be water there. I shall rideforward and see. "

But his horse had scarcely waited for him to form this design. Theanimal had been already dragging upon the bridle; and as soon as hishead was turned in the direction of the tree, he started forward withoutstretched neck, snorting as he rushed along. 

The rider, trusting to the instinct of his horse, surrendered up thebridle; and in less than five minutes both horse and rider were drinkingfrom the sweet water of a crystal fountain that gushed out within adozen yards of the tree. 

The field-cornet would now have hastened back to the wagon: but hethought that by allowing his horse to browse an hour or so upon thegrass, he would make the return-journey with more spirit, and in quiteas good time. He, therefore, took off the bridle, gave the animal hisliberty, while he stretched himself under the shade of the great tree. 

As he lay, he could not help admiring the wonderful production of naturethat towered majestically above him. It was one of the largest trees hehad ever beheld. It was of the kind known as the "nwana" tree, aspecies of _ficus_, with large sycamore-shaped leaves that grew thicklyover its magnificent head. Its trunk was full twenty-feet in diameter, rising to more than that height without a branch, and then spreading offinto numerous limbs that stretched far out in a horizontal direction. Through the thick foliage Von Bloom could perceive shining egg-shapedfruits as large as cocoa-nuts; and upon these the parrots and severalother kinds of birds appeared to be feeding. 

Other trees of the same species stood out upon the plain at longdistances apart; and though they were all taller than the surroundingtimber, none were so large or conspicuous as the one that grew by thespring. 

The field-cornet, as he enjoyed the cool shade which its umbrageousfrondage afforded, could not help thinking what an admirable spot itwould be to build a kraal. The inmates of a dwelling placed beneath itsfriendly shelter, need never dread the fierce rays of the African sun;even the rain could scarce penetrate its leafy canopy. In fact, itsdense foliage almost constituted a roof of itself. 

Had his cattle still remained to him, no doubt the vee-boor would haveresolved at once to make this spot his future home. But, tempting as itwas, what now could he do in such a place? To him it would be only awilderness. There was no species of industry he could follow in such aremote quarter. True, he might sustain himself and his family byhunting. He saw that game was plenteous all around. But that would bebut a sorry existence, with no promise for the future. What would hischildren do hereafter? Were they to grow up with no other end than tobecome poor hunters--no better than the wild Bushmen? No! no! no! Tomake a home there would be out of the question. A few days to recruithis wearied horses, and then he would make a struggle and trek back tothe settlements. 

But what after he had got back? He knew not what then. His future wasgloomy and uncertain. 

After indulging in such reflections for an hour or more, he bethoughthim that it was time to return to the camp; and having caught andbridled his horse, he mounted and set forth. 

The animal, refreshed by the sweet grass and cool water, carried himbriskly along; and in less than two hours he came up with Swartboy andHendrik where they were pasturing the horses. 

These were taken back to the wagon and harnessed in; and then the greatvehicle once more "trekked" across the plains. 

Before the sun had set, the long white cap-tent was gleaming under theleafy screen of the gigantic "nwana. "

CHAPTER SIXTEEN. 

THE TERRIBLE "TSETSE. "

The verdant carpet that stretched away around them--the green leavesupon the trees--the flowers by the fountain--the crystal water in itsbed--the black bold rocks towering up at a distance--all combined tomake a lovely picture. The eyes of the wayfarers were glad as theybeheld it; and while the wagon was outspanning, every one gave utteranceto their delightful emotions. 

The place seemed to please every one. Hans loved its quiet and sylvanbeauty. It was just such a place as he would choose to ramble in, bookin hand, and dream away many a pleasant hour. Hendrik liked it much, because he had already observed what he termed "extensive spoor" aboutthe spot: in other words, he had noticed the tracks of many of Africa'slargest wild animals. 

Little Truey was delighted to see so many beautiful flowers. There werebright scarlet geraniums, and starlike sweet-scented jessamines, and thegorgeous belladonna lily, with its large blossoms of rose-colour andwhite; and there were not only plants in flower, but bushes, and eventrees, covered with gaudy and sweetly-perfumed blossoms. There was the"sugar-bush" (_Protea mellifera_), the most beautiful of its family, with its large cup-shaped corollas of pink, white, and green; and there, too, was the "silver-tree" (_Leucodendron argenteum_), whose softsilvery leaves playing in the breeze, looked like a huge mass of silkenflowers; and there were the mimosas covered with blossoms of goldenyellow that filled the air with their strong and agreeable perfume. 

Rare forms of vegetation were around or near at hand: the arborescentaloes, with their tall flower-spikes of coral red, and euphorbias ofmany shapes; and _zamia_, with its palm-like fronds; and the soft-leaved_Strelitzia reginae_. All these were observed in the neighbourhood ofthis new-discovered fountain. 

But what received little Truey's admiration more than any other was thebeautiful blue waterlily (_Nympha caerulea_), which is certainly one ofthe loveliest of Africa's flowers. Close by the spring, but a littlefarther in the direction of the plain, was a vley, or pool--in fact, itmight have been termed a small lake--and upon the quiet bosom of itswater the sky-blue corollas lay sleeping in all their gorgeous beauty. 

Truey, leading her little pet in a string, had gone down on the bank tolook at them. She thought she could never cease gazing at such prettythings. 

"I hope papa will stay here a long time, " she said to her companion, little Jan. 

"And I hope so too. Oh! Truey, what a fine tree yon is! Look! nuts asbig as my head, I declare. Bless me, sis! how are we to knock some, ofthem down?"

And so the children conversed, both delighted with the new scenes aroundthem. 

Although all the young people were inclined to be happy, yet they werechecked in their expression of it, by observing that there was a cloudon the brow of their father. He had seated himself under the greattree, but his eyes were upon the ground, as though he were busy withpainful reflections. All of them noticed this. 

His reflections were, indeed, painful--they could not well have beenotherwise. There was but one course left for him--to return to thesettlements, and begin life anew. But how to begin it? What could hedo? His property all gone, he could only serve some of his richerneighbours; and for one accustomed all his life to independence, thiswould be hard indeed. 

He looked towards his five horses, now eagerly cropping the luxuriantgrass that grew under the shadow of the cliffs. When would they beready to trek back again? In three or four days he might start. Fineanimals, most of them were--they would carry the wagon lightly enough. 

So ran the reflections of the field-cornet. He little thought at themoment that those horses would never draw wagon more, nor any othervehicle. He little thought that those five noble brutes were doomed!

Yet so it was. In less than a week from that time, the jackals andhyenas were quarrelling over their bones. Even at that very moment, whilst he watched them browsing, the poison was entering their veins, and their death-wounds were being inflicted. Alas! alas! another blowawaited Von Bloom. 

The field-cornet had noticed, now and again, that the horses seemeduneasy as they fed. At times they started suddenly, whisked their longtails, and rubbed their heads against the bushes. 

"Some fly is troubling them, " thought he, and had no more uneasinessabout the matter. 

It was just that--just a fly that was troubling them. Had Von Bloomknown what that fly was, he would have felt a very different concernabout his horses. Had he known the nature of that little fly, he wouldhave rushed up with all his boys, caught the horses in the greatesthurry, and led them far away from those dark cliffs. But he knew notthe "tsetse" fly. 

It still wanted some minutes of sunset, and the horses were permitted tobrowse freely, but Von Bloom observed that they were every momentgetting more excited--now striking their hoofs upon the turf, --nowrunning a length or two--and at intervals snorting angrily. At thedistance they were off--a quarter of a mile or so--Von Bloom could seenothing of what was disturbing them; but their odd behaviour at lengthinduced him to walk up to where they were. Hans and Hendrik went alongwith him. When they arrived near the spot, they were astonished at whatthey then beheld. Each horse seemed to be encompassed by a swarm ofbees!

They saw, however, they were not bees, but insects somewhat smaller, ofa brown colour, resembling gad-flies, and exceedingly active in theirflight. Thousands of them hovered above each horse, and hundreds couldbe seen lighting upon the heads, necks, bodies, and legs of theanimals, --in fact, all over them. They were evidently either biting orstinging them. No wonder the poor brutes were annoyed. 

Von Bloom suggested that they should drive the horses farther out intothe plain, where these flies did not seem to haunt. He was onlyconcerned about the _annoyance_ which the horses received from them. Hendrik also pitied their sufferings; but Hans, alone of all the three, guessed at the truth. He had read of a fatal insect that frequentedsome districts in the interior of South Africa, and the first sight ofthese flies aroused his suspicions that it might be they. 

He communicated his thoughts to the others, who at once shared hisalarm. 

"Call Swartboy hither!" said Von Bloom. 

The Bushman was called, and soon made his appearance, coming up from thespring. He had for the last hour been engaged in unpacking the wagon, and had taken no notice of the horses or the interest they wereexciting. 

As soon, however, as he got near, and saw the winged swarm whirringaround the horses, his small eyes opened to their widest extent, histhick lips fell, and his whole face yielded itself to an expression ofamazement and alarm. 

"What is it, Swart?" inquired his master. 

"Mein baas! mein baas! der duyvel um da--dar skellum is da `tsetse!'"

"And what if it be the tsetse?"

"Mein baas!--all dead--dead--ebery horse!"

Swartboy then proceeded to explain, with a loud and continuous"clicking, " that the fly which they saw was fatal in its bite, that thehorses would surely die--sooner or later, according to the number ofstings they had already received; but, from the swarm of insects aroundthem, the Bushman had no doubt they had been badly stung and a singleweek would see all five of the horses dead. 

"Wait, mein baas--morrow show. " And to-morrow _did_ show; for beforetwelve o'clock on the next day, the horses were swollen all over theirbodies and about their heads. Their eyes were quite closed up; theyrefused any longer to eat, but staggered blindly among the luxuriantgrass, every now and then expressing the pain they felt by a lowmelancholy whimpering. It was plain to every one they were going todie. 

Von Bloom tried bleeding, and various other remedies; but to no purpose. There is no cure for the bite of the tsetse fly!

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN. 

THE LONG-HORNED RHINOCEROS. 

Great, indeed, was now the affliction of the field-cornet. Fortuneseemed to be adverse in everything. Step by step he had been sinkingfor years, every year becoming poorer in worldly wealth. He had nowreached the lowest point--poverty itself. He owned nothing whatever. His horses might be regarded as dead. The cow had escaped from thetsetse by avoiding the cliffs, and keeping out upon the plain; and thisanimal now constituted his whole live-stock, --his whole property! True, he still had his fine wagon; but of what use would that be withouteither oxen or horses? a wagon without a team! Better a team without awagon. 

What could he do? How was he to escape from the position he was placedin? To say the least, it was an awkward one--nearly two hundred milesfrom any civilised settlement, and no means of getting there, --no meansexcept by walking; and how were his children to walk two hundred miles?Impossible!

Across desert tracts, exposed not only to terrible fatigue, but tohunger, thirst, and fierce carnivorous animals. It appeared impossiblethat they could accomplish such a task. 

And what else was there to be done? asked the field-cornet of himself. Were they to remain there all their lives, subsisting precariously ongame and roots? Were his children to become "Bush-boys, "--himself aBushman?

With these reflections passing through his mind, no wonder that VonBloom felt deeply afflicted. 

"Merciful Heaven!" he exclaimed, as he sat with his head between hishands, "what will become of me and mine?"

Poor Von Bloom! he had reached the lowest point of his fortunes. 

He had, in reality, reached the _lowest_ point; for on that very day, --even within that very hour--an incident occurred, that not only gaverelief to his afflicted spirit, but that promised to lay the foundationof future wealth and prosperity. In one hour from that time theprospects of the field-cornet had undergone a complete change, --in onehour from that time he was a happy man, and all around him were as happyas he!

You are impatient to hear how this change was effected? What littlefairy had sprung out of the spring, or come down from the cliffs, tobefriend the good field-cornet in his hour of misery? You are impatientto hear! Then you _shall_ hear. 

The sun was just going down. They were all seated under the great tree, and near a fire, upon which they had cooked their supper. There was notalking, no cheerful conversation, --for the children saw that theirfather was in trouble, and that kept them silent. Not a word passedbetween them, or only an occasional whisper. 

It was at this moment that Von Bloom gave utterance to his sad thoughtsin words as above. 

As if seeking for an answer, his eyes were raised to heaven, and thenwandered around the plain. All at once they became fixed upon asingular object, that appeared at some distance off, and was justemerging from the bushes. 

It was an animal of some kind, and from its vast size Von Bloom and theothers at first took it to be an elephant. None of them, exceptSwartboy, were accustomed to elephants in their wild state, --for, although these animals once inhabited the most southerly portion ofAfrica, they have long since deserted the settled districts, and are nowonly to be found far beyond the frontier of the colony. But they knewthat there were elephants in these parts--as they had already observedtheir tracks--and all now supposed the huge creature that wasapproaching must be one. 

Not all, Swartboy was an exception. As soon as his eyes fell upon theanimal he cried out, --

"Chukuroo--a chukuroo!"

"A rhinoster, is it?" said Von Bloom, knowing that "chukuroo" was thenative name for the rhinoceros, or "rhinoster, " as he called it inDutch. 

"Ya, baas, " replied Swartboy; "and one o' da big karles--da `kobaoba, 'da long-horn white rhinoster. "

What Swartboy meant by this was that the animal in question was a largespecies of rhinoceros, known among the natives as the "kobaoba. "

Now I dare say, young reader, you have been all your life under theimpression that there was but one species of rhinoceros in the world--that is _the_ rhinoceros. Is it not so? Yes. 

Well, permit me to inform you, that you have been under a wrongimpression. There is quite a number of distinct species of this verysingular animal. At least eight distinct kinds I know of; and I do nothesitate to say that when the central parts of Africa have been fullyexplored, as well as South Asia and the Asiatic islands, nearly half asmany more will be found to exist. 

In South Africa four distinct species are well-known; one in NorthAfrica differs from all these; while the large Indian rhinoceros bearsbut slight resemblance to any of them. A distinct species from any isthe rhinoceros of Sumatra, an inhabitant of that island; and stillanother is the Java rhinoceros, found in the island of Java. Thus wehave no less than eight kinds, all specifically differing from oneanother. 

The best known in museums, zoological collections, and pictures, isperhaps the Indian animal. It is the one marked by the singularfoldings of its skin, thickly embellished with protuberances or knobs, that give it a shield-like appearance. This distinguishes it from theAfrican species, all of which are without these knobs, though the hidesof some are knotty or warty. The Abyssinian rhinoceros has alsofoldings of the skin, which approach it somewhat to the character of theIndian species. Both the Sumatra and Java kinds are small compared withtheir huge cousin, the Indian rhinoceros, which inhabits onlycontinental India, Siam, and Cochin China. 

The Javan species more resembles the Indian, in having scutellae overthe skin and being one-horned. It is, however, without the singularfolds which characterise the latter. That of Sumatra has neither foldsnor scutellae. Its skin has a slight covering of hair, and a pair ofhorns gives it some resemblance to the two-horned species of Africa. 

The natives of South Africa are acquainted with four distinct species ofrhinoceros, to which they give distinct names; and it may be remarkedthat this observation of species by native hunters is far more to bedepended upon than the speculations of mere closet-naturalists, who drawtheir deductions from a tubercle, or the tooth, or a stuffed skin. Ifthere be any value in a knowledge of animated nature, it is not to thesewe are indebted for that knowledge, but far oftener to the "rudehunters, " whom they affect to despise, and who, after all, have taughtus pretty much all we know of the habits of animals. Such a "rudehunter" as Gordon Cumming, for example, has done more to increase theknowledge of African zoology than a whole college full of "speculating"_savans_. 

This same Gordon Cumming, who has been accused of exaggeration (but inmy opinion very wrongfully accused), has written a very modest andtruthful book, which tells you that there are four kinds of rhinocerosesin Southern Africa; and no man is likely to know better than he. 

These four kinds are known among the natives as the "borele, " the"keitloa, " the "muchocho, " and "kobaoba. " The two first are "blackrhinoceroses, "--that is, the general colour of their skin is dark--whilethe "muchocho" and "kobaoba" are white varieties, having the skin of adingy whitish hue. The black rhinoceroses are much smaller--scarce halfthe size of the others, and they differ from them in the length and setof their horns, as _well_ as in other particulars. 

The horns of the "borele" are placed--as in all rhinoceroses, --upon abony mass over the nostrils, --hence the word "rhinoceros" (_rhis_, thenose, _chiras_, a horn. )

In the "borele" they stand erect, curving slightly backwards, and onebehind the other. The anterior horn is the longer--rarely aboveeighteen inches in length--but it is often broken or rubbed shorter, andin no two individuals is there equality in this respect. The posteriorhorn in this species is only a sort of knob; whereas in the "keitloa, "or two-horned black rhinoceros, both horns are developed to a nearlyequal length. 

In the "muchocho" and "kobaoba, " the after horns can hardly be said toexist, but the anterior one in both species far exceeds in length thoseof the borele and keitloa. In the muchocho it is frequently three feetin length, while the kobaoba is often seen with a horn four feet long, jutting out from the end of its ugly snout--a fearful weapon!

The horns of the two last do not curve back, but point forward; and asboth these carry their heads low down the long sharp spike is oftenborne horizontally. In the form and length of their neck, the set oftheir ears, and other respects, the black rhinoceroses differ materiallyfrom the white ones. In fact, their habits are quite unlike. Theformer feed chiefly on the leaves and twigs of thorns, such as the_Acacia horrida_, or "wait-a-bits, " while the latter live upon grass. The former are of fiercer disposition--will attack man or any otheranimal on sight; and even sometimes seem to grow angry with the bushes, charging upon them and breaking them to pieces!

The white rhinoceroses, although fierce enough when wounded or provoked, are usually of pacific disposition, and will permit the hunter to passwithout molestation. 

These become very fat, and make excellent eating. The flesh of noAfrican animal is esteemed superior to the calf of the white rhinoceros, whereas the black varieties never grow fat, and their flesh is tough andunpalatable. 

The horns of all four are used by the natives for many purposes, beingsolid, of fine texture, and susceptible of a high polish. Out of thelonger horns the natives manufacture "knobkerries" (clubs), andloading-rods for their guns. The shorter ones afford material formallets, drinking-cups, handles for small tools, and the like. InAbyssinia, and other parts of Northern Africa, where swords are in use, sword-hilts are made from the horns of the rhinoceros. 

The hide is also used for different purposes, among others for makingthe whips known as "jamboks, " though hippopotamus-hide is superior. 

The skin of the African rhinoceros, as already stated, is without theplaits, folds, and scutellae, that characterise its Asiatic congener, yet it is far from being a soft one. It is so thick and difficult topierce, that a bullet of ordinary lead will sometimes flatten upon it. To ensure its penetrating, the lead must be hardened with solder. 

The rhinoceros, though not a water animal, like the hippopotamus, isnevertheless fond of that element, and is rarely found at a greatdistance from it. All four kinds love to lie and wallow in mud, just ashogs in a summer's day; and they are usually seen coated all over withthis substance. During the day they may be observed lying down orstanding under the shade of some thick mimosa-tree, either asleep or ina state of easy indolence; and it is during the night that they wanderabout in search of food and water. If approached from the lee side theycan easily be got at, as their small sparkling eyes do not serve themwell. On the contrary, if the hunter go to windward, they will scenthim at a great distance, as their sense of smell is most acute. Iftheir eyes were only as keen as their nostrils, it would be a dangerousgame to attack them, for they can run with sufficient rapidity toovertake a horse in the first charge. 

In charging and running, the black variety far excels the white. Theyare easily avoided, however, by the hunter springing quickly to oneside, and letting them rush blindly on. 

The black rhinoceros is about six feet high at the shoulder, and fullthirteen in length; while the white kinds are far larger. The "kobaoba"is full seven feet high, and fourteen in length!

No wonder that an animal of these extraordinary dimensions was at firstsight taken for the elephant. In fact, the kobaoba rhinoceros is thequadruped next to the elephant in size; and with his great muzzle--fulleighteen inches broad--his long clumsy head, his vast ponderous body, this animal impresses one with an idea of strength and massive grandeuras great, and some say greater than the elephant himself. He looks, indeed, like a caricature of the elephant. It was not such a badmistake, then, when our people by the wagon took the "kobaoba" for the"mighty elephant. "

Swartboy, however, set them all right by declaring that the animal theysaw was the white rhinoceros. 

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN. 

A HEAVY COMBAT. 

When they first saw the kobaoba, he was, as stated, just coming out ofthe thicket. Without halting, he headed in the direction of the vleyalready mentioned; and kept on towards it, his object evidently being toreach the water. 

This little lake, of course, owed its existence to the spring--though itwas full two hundred yards from the latter--and about the same from thegreat tree. It was nearly circular in shape, and about one hundredyards in diameter, so that its superficial area would thus be a littleover two English acres. It merited, then, the name of "lake;" and bythat name the young people already called it. 

On its upper side--that in the direction of the spring--its shore washigh, and in one or two places rocky, and these rocks ran back to thespring along the channel of a little rivulet. On the west or outer sideof the lake the land lay lower, and the water at one or two pointslipped up nearly to the level of the plain. For this reason it was, that upon that side, the bank was paddled all over with tracks ofanimals that had been to drink. Hendrik the hunter had observed amongthem the footprints of many kinds he knew nothing about. 

It was for the lower end of the lake the kobaoba was making--no doubtwith him an old and favourite drinking-place. 

There was a point where the water was easier of access than elsewhere--alittle to one side of where the wash or waste-stream of the lake ranout. It was a sort of cove with bright sandy beach, and approachablefrom the plain by a miniature gorge, hollowed out, no doubt, by the longusage of those animals who came to drink at the vley. By entering thiscove, the tallest animals might get deep water and good bottom, so thatthey could drink without much straining or stooping. The kobaoba cameon in a direct line for the lake; and as he drew near, they could seehim heading for the gorge that led into the little cove. It proved hehad been there before. 

Next moment he passed through the gap, and stood knee-deep in the water. 

After swallowing several copious draughts--now sneezing, and thenwheezing--he plunged his broad snout, horn and all, into the water, tossed it till it foamed, and then lying down in it, commenced wallowinglike a hog. 

The place was shallow, and most of his huge body was above the surface--though there was deep enough water in the lake to have given him a bathhad he desired it. 

The first thought of Von Bloom, as well as of Hendrik, was how to"circumvent" the rhinoceros, and of course destroy him. Not that theysimply wished his destruction; but Swartboy had already represented whatfine food the species was, and there was no stock of provision in camp. Hendrik had another object in wishing the death of the creature. Hewanted a new loading-rod for his rifle; and he had gazed covetously atthe kobaoba's long horn. 

But it was easier to desire the death of the rhinoceros than toaccomplish it. They had no horses--at least none that could bemounted--and to attack the animal on foot would be a game as dangerousas idle. He would be like enough to impale one of them on his greatspike, or else trample them brutally under his huge feet. If he did notdo one or the other, he would easily make his escape--as any kind ofrhinoceros can outrun a man. 

How were they to manage him then?

Perhaps they might get near--fire at him from an ambush, and with alucky shot stretch him out. A single bullet sometimes kills therhinoceros--but only when correctly placed, so as to penetrate theheart, or some other of the "vitals. "

This was, probably, the best plan. They might easily get near enough. There was some bush cover close to the spot. It was probable the oldkobaoba would not perceive them, if they approached from leeward, particularly as he seemed in the full tide of enjoyment at that moment. 

They were about to attempt the approach, and had got to their feet forthat purpose, when a sudden fit seemed to have attacked Swartboy. Thelatter commenced jumping over the ground, at the same time muttering ina low voice, --

"Da klow! da klow!"

A stranger would have fancied Swartboy in a fit, but Von Bloom knew thatby "Da klow! da klow!" the Bushman meant "The elephant! the elephant!"and therefore looked in the direction in which Swartboy was pointing. 

Sure enough, upon the western plain, looming up against the yellow sky, was a dark mass, that upon examination presented the outlines of anelephant. Its rounded back was easily distinguished over the lowbushes; and its broad hanging ears were moving as it marched. All sawat a glance that it was coming towards the lake, and almost in the sametrack that the rhinoceros had taken. 

Of course this new apparition quite disarranged the plans of thehunters. At sight of the mighty elephant, they scarce any longer gave athought to the kobaoba. Not that they had formed any very great hopesof being able to kill the gigantic animal, yet some such thought wasrunning through their minds. They had determined to try, at all events. 

Before they could agree upon any plan, however, the elephant had got upto the edge of the lake. Though moving only at a slow walk, with hisimmense strides he soon measured off a large quantity of ground, andadvanced much more rapidly than one would have supposed. The huntershad scarce time to exchange thoughts, before the huge creature was upwithin a few yards of the water. 

Here he halted, pointed his proboscis in different directions, stoodquite silent, and seemed to listen. 

There was no noise to disturb him--even the kobaoba for the moment wasquiet. 

After standing a minute or so, the huge creature moved forward again, and entered the gorge already described. 

They at the camp had now a full view of him, at less than three hundredyards distance. An immense mass he seemed. His body quite filled thegorge from side to side, and his long yellow tusks projecting more thantwo yards from his jaws, curved gracefully upward. He was an "oldbull, " as Swartboy whispered. 

Up to this time the rhinoceros had not had the slightest intimation ofthe elephant's approach; for the tread of the latter--big beast as heis--is as silent as a cat's. It is true that a loud rumbling noise likedistant thunder proceeded from his inside as he moved along; but thekobaoba was in too high a caper just then to have heard or noticed anysound that was not very near and distinct. 

The huge body of the elephant coming suddenly into "his sunshine, " andflinging its dark shadow over the vley, was distinct enough, and causedthe kobaoba to get to his feet with an agility quite surprising for acreature of his build. 

At the same time a noise, something between a grunt and a whistleescaped him, as the water was ejected from his nostrils. 

The elephant also uttered his peculiar salute in a trumpet note, thatechoed from the cliffs and halted in his tracks as soon as he saw therhinoceros. 

No doubt both were surprised at the rencontre as both stood for someseconds eyeing each other with apparent astonishment. 

This, however, soon gave place to a different feeling. Symptoms ofanger began to show themselves. It was evident that bad blood wasbrewing between them. 

There was, in fact, a little dilemma. The elephant could not getcomfortably at the water unless the rhinoceros left the cove; and therhinoceros could not well get out of the cove, so long as the elephantblocked up the gorge with his immense thick limbs. 

It is true, the kobaoba might have sneaked through among the other'slegs, or he might have swum off and landed at some other point, and ineither way have left the coast clear. 

But of all animals in the world a rhinoceros is, perhaps, the mostunaccommodating. He is, also, one of the most fearless, dreadingneither man nor beast--not even the boasted lion, whom he often chaseslike a cat. Hence the old kobaoba had no intention of yielding groundto the elephant; and from his attitude, it was plain that he neitherintended to sneak off under the other's belly, nor swim a single strokefor him. No--not a stroke. 

It remained to be seen how the point of honour was to be decided. Theattitude of affairs had become so interesting, that every one by thecamp was gazing with fixed eyes upon the two great bulls--for therhinoceros was also a "bull" and of the largest size known of his kind. 

For several minutes they stood eyeing each other. The elephant, although much the larger, knew his antagonist well. He had met his"sort" before, and knew better than to despise his powers. Perhaps, erenow, he had had a touch of that long spit-like excrescence that stoodout from the kobaoba's snout. 

At all events, he did not rush upon his adversary at once--as he wouldhave done on some poor antelope that might have crossed him in the sameway. 

His patience, however, became exhausted. His ancient dignity wasinsulted--his rule disputed--he wished to have his bath and his drink--he could bear the insolence of the rhinoceros no longer. 

With a bellow that made the rocks ring again, he charged forward; placedhis tusks firmly under the shoulder of his adversary, --gave a mighty"lift, " and turned the rhinoceros over in the water!

For a moment the latter plunged, and blowed, and snorted, his head halfunder water; but in a second's time he was on his feet again, andcharging in turn. The spectators could see that he aimed right at theelephant's ribs with his horn, and that the latter did all he could tokeep head towards him. 

Again the elephant flung the kobaoba, and again the latter rose andcharged madly upon his huge antagonist; and so both fought until thewater around them was white with foam. 

The contest was carried on _in_ the water, until the elephant, seemingto think his adversary had an advantage there, backed himself into thegorge, and stood waiting with his head towards the lake. In thisposition the sides of the gorge did not protect him, as perhaps hefancied. They were too low, and his broad flanks rose far above them. They only kept him from turning round, and this interfered with thefreedom of his movements. 

It could scarce have been design in the rhinoceros to act as he now did, though it appeared so to those who were watching. As the elephant tookup his position in the gorge, the kobaoba clambered out upon the bank;and then, wheeling suddenly, with head to the ground and long hornprojected horizontally, the latter rushed upon his antagonist and struckhim right among the ribs. The spectators saw that the horn penetrated, and the loud scream that came from the elephant, with the quick motionsof his trunk and tail, told plainly that he had received a severe wound. Instead of standing any longer in the gorge he rushed forward, and didnot stop until he was knee-deep in the lake. Drawing the water up intohis trunk, he raised it on high, and pointing it backwards, hedischarged large volumes over his body, and upon the spot where he hadreceived the thrust of the kobaoba's horn. 

He then ran out of the lake, and charged about in search of therhinoceros; but long-horn was nowhere to be found!

Having escaped from the cove without compromising his dignity, andperhaps believing that he had gained the victory, the rhinoceros, assoon as he delivered the thrust, had galloped off and disappeared amongthe bushes. 

CHAPTER NINETEEN. 

THE DEATH OF THE ELEPHANT. 

The battle between these two large quadrupeds did not continue for morethan ten minutes. During that time the hunters made no advance towardsattacking either of them--so much absorbed were they in watching thenovel contest. It was only after the rhinoceros had retreated, and theelephant returned to the water, that they once more began to deliberateon some plan of assaulting this mightiest of African animals. Hans nowlaid hold of his gun and joined them. 

The elephant, after looking about for his enemy had got back, and wasstanding knee-deep in the lake. He appeared restless and highlyexcited. His tail was continually in motion, and at intervals heuttered a piercing melancholy scream--far different to the usualtrumpet-like bellow of his voice. He lifted his huge limbs, and thenplunged them back again to the bottom, until the foam gathered upon thewater with his continued churning. 

But the oddest of his actions was the manner in which he employed hislong tubular trunk. With this he sucked up vast volumes of water, andthen pointing it backwards ejected the fluid over his back andshoulders, as if from an immense syringe. This shower-bath he keptrepeating time after time, though it was evident he was not at his ease. 

They all knew he was angry. Swartboy said it would be exceedinglydangerous to be seen by him at that moment, without having a horse togallop out of his way. On this account every one of them had concealedthemselves behind the trunk of the nwana-tree, Von Bloom peeping pastone side, and Hendrik the other, in order to watch his movements. 

Notwithstanding the danger, they at length resolved to attack him. Theybelieved that if they did not do so soon, he would walk off, and leavethem supperless--for they had hoped to sup upon a slice of his trunk. Time, therefore, had grown precious, and they resolved to attack himwithout further ado. 

They intended to creep as near as was safe. All three would firetogether, and then lie close in the bushes until they saw the effect oftheir shots. 

Without further parley, Von Bloom, Hans, and Hendrik, leaving the tree, crept through the bushes towards the western end of the lake. It wasnot a continuous thicket, but only an assemblage of copses and clumps, so that they required to steal very cautiously from one to the other. Von Bloom led the way, while the boys kept in his tracks, following himclosely. 

After some five minutes spent in this way they got under cover of alittle clump near the water's edge, and near enough to the giganticgame. Upon their hands and knees they now approached the verge of theunderwood; and having parted the leaves, looked through. The mightyquadruped was right under their eyes, within twenty yards of them!

He was still busy plunging about, and blowing volumes of water over hisbody. He gave no sign that he had any suspicion of their presence. They could take time, therefore, in choosing a part of his huge body atwhich to aim their pieces. 

When first seen from their new position, he was standing stern towardsthem. Von Bloom did not think it a good time to fire, as they could notgive him a deadly wound in that situation. They waited, therefore, until he might turn his side, before they should deliver their volley. They kept their eyes all the while steadily fixed on him. 

He ceased at length to "churn" with his feet, and no longer raised waterin his trunk; and now the hunters perceived that the lake was red for aspace around him! It was his blood that had reddened it. 

They no longer doubted that he had been wounded by the rhinoceros; butwhether the wound was a bad one they could not tell. It was in hisside, and as yet they could only see his broad stern from the positionin which he still continued to stand. But they waited with confidence--as they knew that in turning to get out of the water, he would have topresent his side towards them. 

For several minutes he kept the same position, but they noticed that histail no longer switched about, and that his attitude was loose anddrooping. Now and then he turned his proboscis to the spot where he hadreceived the thrust of the kobaoba's horn. It was evident that thewound was distressing him, and this became more apparent by the loudpainful breathing the creature uttered through his trunk. 

The three began to grow impatient. Hendrik asked leave to creep roundto another point, and give him a shot that would turn him round. 

Just at that moment the elephant made a motion, as though he was aboutto come out of the water. 

He had got fairly round--his head and forepart were over dry land--thethree guns were pointed--the eyes of the three hunters were about toglance through the sights of their pieces, when all at once he was seento rock and stagger, --and then roll over! With a loud plash, his vastbody subsided into the water, sending great waves to every corner of thelake. 

The hunters uncocked their guns, and, springing from their ambush, rushed forward to the bank. They saw at a glance that the elephant wasdead. They saw the wound upon his side, --the hole made by the horn ofthe rhinoceros. It was not very large, but the terrible weapon hadpenetrated far into his body, into his very vitals. No wonder, then, atthe result it had produced--the death of the mightiest of quadrupeds. 

As soon as it became known that the elephant was dead, everybody wasseen rushing forward to the spot. Little Truey and Jan were called fromtheir hiding-place--for they had both been hidden in the wagon--andTotty, too, went down with the rest. Swartboy was one of the first uponthe spot, carrying an axe and a large knife--for Swartboy had designsupon the carcass--while Hans and Hendrik both threw off their jackets toassist in the butchering operations. 

And what during this time was Von Bloom about? Ha! That is a moreimportant question than you think for. That was an important hour--thehour of a great crisis in the life of the field-cornet. 

He was standing with folded arms on the bank of the lake, directly overthe spot where the elephant had fallen. He appeared to be wrapt insilent meditation, his eyes bent upon the huge carcass of the animal. No, not on the carcass. A close observer would have perceived that hiseyes did not wander over that mountain of thick skin and flesh, but wereresting upon a particular spot. 

Was it the wound in the animal's side? And was Von Bloom meditating howthe thrust had caused the death of such a huge creature?

Neither one nor the other. His thoughts were upon a very differenttheme from either. 

The elephant had fallen so that his head was clear of the water, andrested upon a little bank of sand; along which, his soft and limbertrunk lay extended to its full length. Curving like a pair of giganticscimitars from its base, were the yellow enamelled tusks; those ivoryarms that for years, --ay centuries, perhaps, --had served him to root upthe trees of the forest, and rout his antagonists in many a dreadencounter. Precious and beautiful trophies were they, but alas! theirworld-wide fame had cost no less than life to many thousands of hisrace. 

Shining in all their magnificence lay these mated crescents, gentlycurved and softly rounded. It was upon _these_ that the eyes of thefield-cornet were bent. 

Ay, and bent too with an eagerness unusual in his glance. His lips werecompressed, his chest was visibly heaving. Oh! there was a world ofthoughts passing through the mind of Von Bloom at that moment. 

Were they painful thoughts? The expression of his face told thecontrary. The cloud that all that day sat perched upon his brow hadvanished. Not a trace of it remained, but in its place could be seenthe lines of hope and joy, and these feelings at length found expressionin words. 

"It is the hand of Heaven!" he exclaimed aloud. "A fortune--a fortune!"

"What is it, papa?" inquired little Truey, who was near him; "what wereyou speaking about, dear papa?"

And then all the others gathered around him, noticing his excitedmanner, and pleased at seeing him look so happy. 

"What is it, papa?" asked all together, while Swartboy and Totty stoodeager as the rest to hear the answer. 

In the pleasant excitement of his thoughts, the fond father could nolonger conceal from his children the secret of his new-born happiness. He would gratify them by disclosing it. 

Pointing to the long crescents he said, --

"You see those beautiful tusks?"

Yes, of course, they all did. 

"Well, do you know their value?"

No. They knew they were worth something. They knew that it was fromelephants' tusks that ivory was obtained, or, more properly, thatelephants' tusks were ivory itself; and that it was used in themanufacture of hundreds of articles. In fact, little Truey had abeautiful fan made out of it, which had been her mother's; and Jan had aknife with an ivory handle. Ivory was a very beautiful material andcost very dear, they knew. All this they knew, but the value of the twotusks they could not guess at. They said so. 

"Well, my children, " said Von Bloom, "as near as I can estimate them, they are worth twenty pounds each of English money. "

"Oh! oh! Such a grand sum!" cried all in a breath. 

"Yes, " continued the field-cornet; "I should think each tusk is onehundred pounds in weight, and as ivory at present sells for fourshillings and sixpence the pound weight, these two would yield betweenforty and fifty pounds of sterling money. "

"Why, it would buy a full span of best oxen!" cried Hans. 

"Four good horses!" said Hendrik. 

"A whole flock of sheep!" added little Jan. 

"But whom can we sell them to?" asked Hendrik, after a pause. "We areaway from the settlements. Who is to give us either oxen, or horses, orsheep, for them? It would not be worth while to carry two tusks all theway--"

"Not _two_, Hendrik, " said his father, interrupting him; "but _twenty_it might, --ay, twice twenty, or three times that number. Now, do youunderstand what makes me so gay?"

"Oh!" exclaimed Hendrik, as well as the others, who now began toperceive what their father was so joyed about, "you think we can obtainmore tusks in these parts?"

"Precisely so. I think there are many elephants here. I feel certainof it from the quantity of their spoor I have already noticed. We haveour guns, and fortunately, plenty of ammunition. We are all pretty fairshots--why can we not obtain more of these valuable trophies?

"But we shall, " continued Von Bloom. "I know we shall, because Irecognise the hand of God in sending us this wealth in the midst of ourmisery--after we had lost everything. More will come by the guiding ofthe same hand. So be of good cheer, my children! We shall not want--weshall yet have plenty--we may be _rich_!"

It was not that any of those young creatures cared much about beingrich, but because they saw their father so happy, that they broke outinto something more than a murmur of applause. It was, in fact, acheer, in which both Totty and Swartboy joined. It rang over the littlelake, and caused the birds about settling to roost to wonder what wasgoing on. There was no happier group in all Africa than stood at thatmoment upon the shore of that lonely little vley. 

CHAPTER TWENTY. 

TURNED HUNTERS. 

The field-cornet, then, had resolved upon turning hunter by profession--a hunter of elephants; and it was a pleasant reflection to think, thatthis occupation promised, not only exciting sport, but great profit. Heknew that it was not so easy a matter to succeed in killing such largeand valuable game as elephants. He did not suppose that in a few weeksor months he would obtain any great quantities of their ivory spoils;but he had made up his mind to spend even years in the pursuit. Foryears he should lead the life of a Bushman--for years his sons would be"Bush-boys, " and he hoped that in time his patience and toil would beamply rewarded. 

That night around the camp-fire all were very happy and very merry. Theelephant had been left where he lay, to be cut up on the morrow. Onlyhis trunk had been taken off--part of which was cooked for supper. 

Although all the flesh of the elephant is eatable, the trunk is esteemedone of the delicate bits. It tastes not unlike ox-tongue; and all ofthem liked it exceedingly. To Swartboy, who had made many a meal upon"de ole klow, " it was a highly-relished feast. 

They had plenty of fine milk, too. The cow, now upon the best ofpasture, doubled her yield; and the quantity of this, the most deliciousof all drinks, was sufficient to give every one a large allowance. 

While enjoying their new-fashioned dish of roast elephant-trunk, theconversation naturally turned upon these animals. 

Everybody knows the appearance of the elephant, therefore a descriptionof him is quite superfluous. But everybody does not know that there aretwo distinct kinds of this gigantic quadruped--the _African_ and_Asiatic_. 

Until a late period they were thought to be of the same species. Nowthey are acknowledged to be, not only distinct, but very different inmany respects. The Asiatic, or, as it is more frequently called, the"Indian" elephant is the larger of the two; but it is possible thatdomestication may have produced a larger kind, as is the rule with manyanimals. The African species exists only in a wild state; and it wouldappear that individuals of this kind have been measured having thedimensions of the largest of the _wild_ Asiatic elephants. 

The most remarkable points of difference between the two are found inthe ears and tusks. The ears of the African elephant are of enormousproportions, meeting each other above the shoulders, and hanging downbelow the breast. Those of the Indian elephant are scarce one-third thesize. In his grand tusks the former has far the advantage--these insome individuals weighing nearly two hundred pounds each--while thetusks of the latter rarely reach the weight of one hundred. To this, however, there are some exceptions. Of course a two hundred pound tuskis one of the very largest, and far above the average even of Africanelephants. In this species the females are also provided with tusks--though not of such size as in the males--whereas the female of theIndian elephant has either no tusks at all, or they are so small as tobe scarcely perceptible outside the skin of the lips. The other chiefpoints of difference between the two are that the front of the Asiaticelephant is concave, while that of the African is convex; and the formerhas four horny toes or _sabots_ on the hind-foot, where only threeappear upon that of the latter. The enamel of the teeth presents stillanother proof of these animals being different in species. 

Nor are all Asiatic elephants alike. In this species there arevarieties which present very distinct features; and, indeed, these"varieties, " as they are called, appear to differ from each other, nearly as much as any one of them does from the African kind. 

One variety known among Orientals by the name of "mooknah, " has straighttusks that _point downward_, whereas the usual habit of these singularappendages is to _curve upward_. 

Asiatics recognise two main _castes_, or perhaps species, among theirelephants. One known as "coomareah, " is a deep-bodied, compact, andstrong animal, with large trunk and short legs. The other called"merghee, " is a taller kind, but neither so compact nor strong as thecoomareah, nor has he so large a trunk. His long legs enable him totravel faster than the coomareah; but the latter having a larger trunk(a point of beauty among elephant-owners) and being capable of enduringmore fatigue, is the favourite, and fetches a larger price in theOriental market. 

Occasionally a _white_ elephant is met with. This is simply an"albino, " but such are greatly prized in many countries of Asia, andlarge sums are given for them. They are even held in superstitiousveneration in some parts. 

The Indian elephant at the present time inhabits most of the southerncountries of Asia, including the large islands, Ceylon, Java, Sumatra, Borneo, etcetera. Of course every one knows that in these countries theelephant has been trained long ago to the use of man, and is one of the"domestic animals. " But he also exists in a wild state, both upon thecontinent of Asia and in its islands; and hunting the elephant is one ofthe grand sport of the East. 

In Africa the elephant exists _only_ in a state of nature. None of thenations upon this little-known continent tame or train him to anypurpose. He is only prized among them for his precious tusks, and hisflesh as well. Some have asserted that this species is more fierce thanits Indian congener, and could not be domesticated. This is altogethera mistake. The reason why the African elephant is not trained, issimply that none of the modern nations of Africa have yet reached a highenough point of civilisation to avail themselves of the services of thisvaluable animal. 

The African elephant may be domesticated and trained to the "howdah, " orcastle, as easily as his Indian cousin. The trial has been made; butthat it can be done no better proof is required than that at one periodit was done, and upon a large scale. The elephants of the Carthaginianarmy were of this species. 

The African elephant at present inhabits the central and southern partsof Africa. Abyssinia on the east, and Senegal on the west, are hisnorthern limits, and but a few years ago he roamed southward to the veryCape of Good Hope. The activity of the Dutch ivory-hunters, with theirenormous long guns, has driven him from that quarter; and he is nolonger to be found to the south of the Orange River. 

Some naturalists (Cuvier among others) believed the Abyssinian elephantto be of the Indian species. That idea is now exploded, and there is noreason to think that the latter inhabits any part of Africa. It is verylikely there are varieties of the African species in different parts ofthe continent. It is well-known that those of the tropical regions arelarger than the others; and a _reddish and very fierce_ kind is said tobe met with in the mountains of Africa, upon the river Niger. It isprobable, however, that these _red_ elephants seen have been some whosebodies were coated with red dust, as it is a habit of elephants topowder themselves with dust on many occasions, using their trunks as"dredgers. "

Swartboy spoke of a variety well-known among the Hottentot hunters asthe "koes-cops. " This kind, he said, differed from the ordinary ones byits altogether wanting the tusks, and being of a far more viciousdisposition. Its encounter is more dreaded; but as it possesses notrophies to make it worth the trouble and danger of killing, the huntersusually give it a wide berth. 

Such was the conversation that night around the camp-fire. Much of theinformation here given was furnished by Hans, who of course had gatheredit from books; but the Bushman contributed his quota--perhaps of a farmore reliable character. All were destined ere long to make practicalacquaintance with the haunts and habits of this huge quadruped, that tothem had now become the most interesting of all the animal creation. 

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE. 

"JERKING" AN ELEPHANT. 

Next day was one of severe, but joyful labour. It was spent in "curing"the elephant, not in a _medical_ sense, but in the language of theprovision-store. 

Although not equal to either beef or mutton, or even pork, the flesh ofthe elephant is sufficiently palatable to be eaten. There is no reasonwhy it should not be, for the animal is a clean feeder, and livesaltogether on vegetable substances--the leaves and tender shoots oftrees, with several species of bulbous roots, which he well knows how toextract from the ground with his tusks and trunk. It does not followfrom this that his _beef_ should be well tasted--since we see that thehog, one of the most unclean of feeders, yields most delicious "pork;"while another of the same family (_pachydermatii_) that subsists only onsweet succulent roots, produces a flesh both insipid and bitter. Iallude to the South American tapir. The quality of the food, therefore, is no criterion of the quality of the flesh. 

It is true that the beef of the elephant was not what Von Bloom and mostof his family would have chosen for their regular diet. Had they beensure of procuring a supply of antelope venison, the great carcass mighthave gone, not to the "dogs, " but to their kindred the hyenas. But theywere not sure of getting even a single antelope, and therefore decidedupon "curing" the elephant. It would be a safe stock to have on hand, and need not interfere with their eating venison, or any other daintythat might turn up. 

The first thing done was to cut out the tusks. This proved a tough job, and occupied full two hours. Fortunately there was a good axe on hand. But for this and Swartboy's knowledge, double the time might have beenwasted in the operation. 

The ivory having been extracted and put away in a safe place, the"cutting up" then commenced in earnest. Von Bloom and Swartboy were the"baas-butchers, " while Hans and Hendrik played the part of "swabs. " Asthe carcass lay half under water, they would have had some difficulty indealing with the under part. But this they did not design to touch. The upper half would be amply sufficient to provision them a long while;and so they set about removing the skin from that side that wasuppermost. 

The rough thick outer coat they removed in broad sheets cut intosections; and then they peeled off several coats of an under-skin, oftough and pliant nature. Had they needed water-vessels, Swartboy wouldhave saved this for making them--as it is used for such purposes by theBushmen and other natives. But they had vessels enough in the wagon, and this skin was thrown away. 

They had now reached the pure flesh, which they separated in largesheets from the ribs; and then the ribs were cut out, one by one, withthe axe. This trouble they would not have taken--as they did not wantthe ribs--but they cut them away for another reason, namely, to enablethem to get at the valuable fat, which lies in enormous quantitiesaround the intestines. Of course for all cooking purposes, the fatwould be to them invaluable, and indeed almost necessary to render theflesh itself eatable. 

It is no easy matter to get at the fat in the inside of an elephant, asthe whole of the intestines have first to be removed. But Swartboy wasnot to be deterred by a little trouble; so _climbing into the interior_of the huge carcass, he commenced cutting and delving, and every now andthen passing a multitude of "inwards" out to the others, who carriedthem off out of the way. 

After a long spell of this work, the fat was secured, and carefullypacked in a piece of clean under-skin; and then the "butchering" wasfinished. 

Of course the four feet, which along with the trunk are considered the"tit-bits, " had already been separated at the fetlock joint; and stoodout upon the bank, for the future consideration of Swartboy. 

The next thing to be done was to "cure" the meat. They had a stock ofsuit--that precious, though, as lately discovered, _not_ indispensablearticle. But the quantity--stowed away in a dry corner of the wagon--was small, and would have gone but a short way in curing an elephant. 

They had no idea of using it for such a purpose. Flesh can be preservedwithout salt; and not only Swartboy, but Von Bloom himself, knew how topreserve it. In all countries where salt is scarce, the process of"jerking" meat is well understood, and consists simply in cutting itinto thin strips and hanging it out in the sun. A few days of brightwarm sunshine will "jerk" it sufficiently; and meat thus dried will keepgood for months. A slow fire will answer the purpose nearly as well;and in the absence of sunshine, the fire is often resorted to. 

Sun-dried meat in South Africa is called "biltongue. " The Spaniards ofMexico name it "tasajo, " while those of Peru style it "charqui. " InEnglish it is "jerked" meat. 

Several hours were spent in cutting the elephant-beef into strips, andthen a number of forked poles were set up, others were laid horizontallyover the forks, and upon these the meat was suspended, and hung down innumberless festoons. 

Before the sun went down, the neighbourhood of the camp presented a rareappearance. It looked somewhat like the enclosure of a yarn-bleacher, except that the hanging strips, instead of being white, were of abeautiful clear ruby colour. 

But the work was not yet completed. The feet remained to be"preserved, " and the mode of curing these was entirely different. Thatwas a secret known only to Swartboy, and in the execution of it theBushman played first fiddle, with the important air of a _chef decuisine_. He proceeded as follows:--

He first dug a hole in the ground, about two feet deep, and a littlemore in diameter--just large enough to admit one of the feet, which wasnearly two feet diameter at the base. The earth which came out of thishole Swartboy placed in the form of a loose embankment around the edge. 

By his direction the boys had already collected upon the spot a largequantity of dried branches and logs. These Swartboy now built over thehole, into a pyramid of ten feet high, and then set the pile on fire. He next proceeded to make three other pits precisely similar, and builtover each a fire like the first, until four large fires were burningupon the ground. 

The fires being now fairly under way, he could only wait until each hadburned down. This would carry the process into the night, and so itturned out; but Swartboy had a foresight of this. He knew he would getthrough with the more important portion of his work before bedtime. 

When the first fire had burned quite to red cinders, Swartboy's hardestturn of duty began. With a shovel he lifted the cinders out of thehole, until it was empty; but he was more than an hour in performingthis apparently simple labour. The difficulty arose from the intenseheat he had to encounter, which drove him back after every few moments'work; so that he was compelled to retreat at intervals in order to coolhimself. 

The "baas, " as well as Hendrik and Hans, took turns with him, until allfour were perspiring as if they had been shut up for half-an-hour in abaker's oven. 

When the hole was thoroughly scooped clean of coals, Swartboy, assistedby Von Bloom, lifted one of the huge feet; and, carrying it as near asthey dare go on account of the scorching heat, they dropped it in uponits base. 

The sandy earth which had been originally removed, and which was now ashot as molten lead, was pushed over, and around the foot; and then thecinders were raked on top, and over that another huge fire was kindled. 

The same process was gone through with the other three feet, and allfour were to be left in the "oven" until the fires should be burneddown, when they would be found sufficiently baked. 

Swartboy would then rake off the cinders, take out the feet with a sharpwooden spit, beat them well to get rid of the dust, scrape the sandclear, then pare off the outside skin, when they would be ready eitherto be eaten or would keep for a long time. 

Swartboy would do all this as soon as the four huge bonfires should burndown. 

But that would not be before the morning; so all of them, fatigued bythe extraordinary exertions of the day, finished their suppers ofbroiled trunk, and went to rest under the protecting shadow of thenwana. 

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO. 

THE HIDEOUS HYENA. 

Fatigued as they were, they would soon have fallen asleep. But theywere not permitted to do so. As they lay with closed eyes in thathalf-dreamy state that precedes sleep, they were suddenly startled bystrange voices near the camp. 

These voices were uttered in peals of loud laughter; and no one, unacquainted with them, would have pronounced them to be anything elsethan the voices of human beings. They exactly resembled the strongtreble produced by the laugh of a maniac negro. It seemed as if someBedlam of negroes had been let loose, and were approaching the spot. 

I say approaching, because each moment the sounds grew clearer andlouder; and it was evident that whatever gave utterance to them wascoming nearer to the camp. 

That there was more than one creature was evident--ay, and it wasequally evident that there was more than one _kind_ of creature; for sovaried were the voices, it would have puzzled a ventriloquist to havegiven imitations of them all. There was howling, and whining, andgrunting, and growling, and low melancholy moaning as of some one inpain, and hissing, and chattering, and short sharp intonations, as if itwere the barking of dogs, and then a moment or two of deep silence, andagain that chorus of human-like laughter, that in point of horror andhideous suggestions surpassed all the other sounds. 

You will suppose that such a wild concert must have put the camp in astate of great alarm. Not a bit of it. Nobody was frightened theleast--not even innocent little Truey, nor the diminutive Jan. 

Had they been strangers to these sounds, no doubt they would have beenmore than frightened. They would have been terrified by them; for theywere calculated to produce such an effect upon any one to whose earsthey were new. 

But Von Bloom and his family had lived too long upon the wild karoo tobe ignorant of those voices. In the howling, and chattering, andyelping, they heard but the cries of the jackal; and they well knew themaniac laugh of the hideous hyena. 

Instead of being alarmed, and springing from their beds, they lay stilland listened--not dreading any attack from the noisy creatures. 

Von Bloom and the children slept in the wagon; Swartboy and Totty uponthe ground--but these lay close to the fires, and therefore did not fearwild beasts of any kind. 

But the hyenas and jackals upon this occasion appeared to be bothnumerous and bold. In a few minutes after they were first heard, theircries rose around the camp on all sides, so near and so loud as to bepositively disagreeable--even without considering the nature of thebrutes that uttered them. 

At last they came so close, that it was impossible to look in anydirection without seeing a pair of green or red eyes gleaming under thelight of the fires! White teeth, too, could be observed, as the hyenasopened their jaws, to give utterance to their harsh laughter-like cries. 

With such a sight before their eyes, and such sounds ringing in theirears, neither Von Bloom nor any of his people--tired as they were--couldgo to sleep. Indeed, not only was sleep out of the question, but, worsethan that, all--the field-cornet himself not excepted--began toexperience some feelings of apprehension, if not actual alarm. 

They had never beheld a troop of hyenas so numerous and fierce. Therecould not be less than two dozen of them around the camp, with twicethat number of jackals. 

Von Bloom knew that although, under ordinary circumstances, the hyena isnot a dangerous animal, yet there are places and times when he willattack human beings. Swartboy knew this well, and Hans, too, fromhaving read of it. No wonder, then, that some apprehension was felt byall of them. 

The hyenas now behaved with such boldness, and appeared so ravenous, that sleep was out of the question. Some demonstration must be made todrive the brutes away from the camp. 

Von Bloom, Hans, and Hendrik, laid hold of their guns, and got out ofthe wagon, while Swartboy armed himself with his bow and arrows. Allfour stood close by the trunk of the nwana, on the other side from thatwhere the fires were. In this place they were in the shadow, where theycould best observe anything that should come under the light of thefires without being themselves seen. Their position was well chosen. 

They had scarcely fixed themselves in it, when they perceived a greatpiece of neglect they had been guilty of. Now, for the first time itoccurred to them what had brought the hyenas around them in suchnumbers. Beyond a doubt it was the flesh of the elephant, --the_biltongue_. 

That was what the beasts were after; and all now saw that a mistake hadbeen committed in hanging the meat too low. The hyenas might easily getat it. 

This was soon made manifest; for, even at the moment while they stoodwatching the red festoons, plainly visible under the light of Swartboy'sfires, a shaggy spotted brute rushed forward, reared up on hishind-legs, seized one of the pieces, dragged it down from the pole, andthen ran off with it into the darkness. 

A rushing sound could be heard as the others joined him to get share ofhis plunder; and, no doubt, in less than half a minute the morsel wasconsumed; for, at the end of that time, glancing eyes and gleaming teethshowed that the whole troop was back again and ready to make a freshseizure. 

None of the hunters had fired, as the nimbleness with which the brutesmoved about rendered it difficult to take aim at any one of them; andall knew that powder and lead were too precious to be wasted on a"flying shot. "

Emboldened by their success, the hyenas had now drawn nearer, and in amoment more would have made a general charge upon the scaffolds offlesh, and, no doubt, would have succeeded in carrying off a largequantity of it. But just then it occurred to Von Bloom that it would bebest to lay aside their guns and remedy the mistake they had made, byputting the biltongue out of reach. If they did not do so, they wouldeither have to remain awake all night and guard it, or else lose everystring of it. 

How was it to be put out of reach?

At first they thought of collecting it into a heap and stowing it awayin the wagon. That would not only be an unpleasant job, but it wouldinterfere with their sleeping-quarters. 

An alternative, however, presented itself. They saw that if thescaffolds were only high enough, the meat might be easily hung so as tobe out of reach of the hyenas. The only question was, how to place thecross-poles a little higher. In the darkness they could not obtain anew set of uprights, and therein lay the difficulty. How were they toget over it?

Hans had the credit of suggesting a way: and that was, to take out someof the uprights, splice them to the others, with the forked endsuppermost, and then rest the horizontal poles on the upper forks. Thatwould give a scaffold tall enough to hang the meat beyond the reach ofeither jackals or hyenas. 

Hans's suggestion was at once adopted. Half of the uprights were takenup and spliced against the others so as to raise their forks full twelvefeet in the air; and then the cross-poles were rested over their tops. By standing upon one of the wagon-chests, Von Bloom was able to flingthe strips of meat over the horizontal poles, and in such a manner thatit hung only a few inches down, and was now quite beyond the reach ofthe ravenous brutes. 

When the business was finished, the party resumed their station underthe shadow of the tree, intending to watch for a while, and see how thewolfish intruders would act. 

They had not long to watch. In less than five minutes the troopapproached the biltongue, howling, and gibbering, and laughing, asbefore; only this time uttering peculiar cries, as if to expressdisappointment. They saw at a glance that the tempting festoons were nolonger within their reach!

They were not going to leave the ground, however, without assuringthemselves of this fact; and several of the largest approached boldlyunder the scaffolds, and commenced leaping up to try the height. 

After several attempts, springing each time as high as they were able, they appeared to grow discouraged; and no doubt would in time haveimitated the fox with the grapes, and gone quietly away. But Von Bloom, indignant at being roused after such a fashion, from his pleasant rest, was determined to take some revenge upon his tormenters; so he whisperedthe word to the others, and a volley was delivered from behind the tree. 

The unexpected discharge caused a quick scattering of both hyenas andjackals, and the pattering of their numerous feet could be heard as theyran off. When the ground under the scaffold was examined, two of thelarger of these ravenous quadrupeds, and one of the smaller, were foundto have bitten the dust. 

Swartboy had discharged his arrow along with the guns, and it was hethat had slain the jackal, for the poisoned shaft was seen stickingbetween the animal's ribs. 

The guns were again loaded, the party took their stations as before;but, although they waited another half-hour, neither hyena nor jackalmade their appearance. 

They had not gone far away, however, as their wild music testified; butthe reason they did not return was, that they had now discovered thehalf carcass of the elephant that lay in the lake, and upon that theywere making their supper. Their plunging in the water could bedistinctly heard from the camp, and during the whole night theyquarrelled and growled, and laughed and yelled, as they gorgedthemselves on their ample prey. 

Of course Von Bloom and his people did not sit up all night to listen tothis medley of noises. As soon as they perceived that the brutes werenot likely to come any more near the camp, they laid aside theirweapons, returned to their respective sleeping-places, and were all soonburied in the sweet slumber that follows a day of healthy exercise. 

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE. 

STALKING THE OUREBI. 

Next morning the hyenas and jackals had disappeared from the scene, and, to the surprise of all, not a particle of flesh was left upon the bonesof the elephant. There lay the huge skeleton picked clean, the boneseven polished white by the rough tongues of the hyenas. Nay, stillstranger to relate, two of the horses--these poor brutes had been longsince left to themselves, --had been pulled down during the night, andtheir skeletons lay at a short distance from the camp as cleanly pickedas that of the elephant!

All this was evidence of the great number of ravenous creatures thatmust have their home in that quarter, --evidence, too, that game animalsabounded, for where these are not numerous the beasts of prey cannotexist. Indeed, from the quantity of tracks that were seen upon theshores of the vley, it was evident that animals of various kinds haddrunk there during the night. There was the round solid hoof of thequagga, and his near congener the dauw; and there was the neathoof-print of the gemsbok, and the larger track of the eland; and amongthese Von Bloom did not fail to notice the spoor of the dreaded lion. Although they had not heard his roaring that night, they had no doubtbut there were plenty of his kind in that part of the country. Thepresence of his favourite prey, --the quaggas, the gemsboks, and theelands, --were sure indications that the king of beasts was not far off. 

Not much work was done that day. The heavy labour of curing thebiltongue, that had occupied them the whole of the preceding day, andtheir disturbed rest, had rendered them all listless; and neither VonBloom nor the others had any inclination for work. So they moved aroundthe camp and did very little. 

Swartboy took his elephant's feet from the oven, and cleaned them; andalso let down the biltongue and arranged it so as to be better exposedto the sun. Von Bloom himself shot the three remaining horses, havingdriven them to a good distance from the camp. He did this to put an endto the suffering of the poor brutes, --for it was plain to every one thatthey could survive but a day or two longer; and to send a bullet throughthe heart of each was an act of mercy to them. 

Out of all the live-stock of the field-cornet, the cow alone remained, and she was now tended with the greatest care. Without the preciousmilk, which she yielded in such quantity, their diet would have beensavage enough; and they fully appreciated the service she rendered them. Each day she was driven out to the best pasture, and at night shut upin a safe kraal of wait-a-bit thorns, that had been built for her at alittle distance from the tree. These thorns had been placed in such amanner that their shanks all radiated inward, while the bushy tops wereturned out, forming a _chevaux-de-frise_, that scarce any animal wouldhave attempted to get through. Such a fence will turn even the lion, unless when he has been rendered fierce and reckless by provocation. 

Of course a gap had been left for the cow to pass in and out, and thiswas closed by one immense bush, which served all the purpose of a gate. Such was the kraal of "old Graaf. " Besides the cow, the only livingthing that remained in camp was Truey's little pet, the fawn of thegazelle. 

But on that very day another pet was added, a dear little creature, notless beautiful than the springbok, and of still more diminutiveproportions. That was the fawn of an "ourebi, "--one of the elegantlittle antelopes that are found in such variety over the plains and inthe "bush" of Southern Africa. 

It was to Hendrik they were indebted not only for this pet, but for adinner of delicate venison, which they had that day eaten, and which allof them, except Swartboy, preferred to elephant-beef. Hendrik hadprocured the venison by a shot from his rifle, and in the followingmanner. About midday he went out--having fancied that upon a largegrassy meadow near the camp he saw some animal. After walking abouthalf a mile, and keeping among bushes, around the edge of the meadow, hegot near enough to be sure that it _was_ an animal he had observed, forhe now saw _two_ in the place he had marked. 

They were of a kind he had not met with before. They were very smallcreatures, --smaller even than springboks, --but, from their general formand appearance, Hendrik knew they were either antelopes or deer; and, asHans had told him there were _no deer in Southern Africa_, he concludedthey must be some species of antelope. They were a buck and doe, --thishe knew because one of them only carried horns. The buck was _under twofeet_ in height, of slender make, and pale tawny colour. He waswhite-bellied, with white arches above the eyes, and some long whitehair under the throat. Below his knees were yellowish tufts of longhair, and his horns--instead of being lyrate, like those of thespringbok--rose nearly vertical to the height of four inches. They wereblack in colour, round-shaped, and slightly ringed. The doe was withouthorns, and was a much smaller animal than her mate. 

From all these marks Hendrik thought the little antelopes were"ourebis;" and such they were. 

He continued to stalk in upon them, until he was as close as he couldget. But he was still more than two hundred yards from them, and ofcourse far from being within shooting distance with his small rifle. 

A thick _jong dora_ bush concealed him, but he dared not go farther elsethe game would have taken the alarm. He could perceive that they wereshy creatures. 

Every now and gain the buck would raise his graceful neck to its fullstretch, utter a slight blearing call, and look suspiciously around him. From these symptoms Hendrik drew the inference that it was shy game, and would not be easily approached. 

He lay for a moment, thinking what he should do. He was to leeward ofthe game, as he had purposely gone there; but after a while, to hischagrin, he saw that they were _feeding up the wind_, and of coursewidening the distance between them and himself. 

It occurred to Hendrik that it might be their habit to browse up thewind, as springboks and some other species do. If so, he might as wellgive it up, or else make a long circuit and _head_ them. To do thiswould be a work of labour and of time, and a very uncertain stalk itwould be in the end. After all his long tramping, and creeping, andcrouching, the game would be like enough to scent him before they camewithin shot--for it is for this very reason that their instinct teachesthem to browse _against_, and not _with_ the wind. 

As the plain was large, and the cover very distant, Hendrik wasdiscouraged and gave up the design he had half formed of trying to headthem. 

He was about to rise to his feet, and return home, when it occurred tohim that perhaps he might find a decoy available. He knew there wereseveral species of antelopes, with whom curiosity was stronger thanfear. He had often lured the springbok within reach. Why would notthese obey the same impulse?

He determined to make trial. At the worst he could only fail, and hehad no chance of getting a shot otherwise. 

Without losing a moment he thrust his hand into his pocket. He shouldhave found there a large red handkerchief which he had more than onceused for a similar purpose. To his chagrin it was not there!

He dived into both pockets of his jacket, then into his wide trousers, then under the breast of his waistcoat. No. The handkerchief was notto be found. Alas! it had been left in the wagon! It was veryannoying. 

What else could he make use of? Take off his jacket and hold it up? Itwas not gay enough in colour. It would not do. 

Should he raise his hat upon the end of his gun? That might be better, but still it would look too much like the human form, and Hendrik knewthat all animals feared that. 

A happy thought at length occurred to him. He had heard, that with thecurious antelopes, strange forms or movements attract almost as much asglaring colours. He remembered a trick that was said to be practisedwith success by the hunters. It was easy enough, and consisted merelyin the hunter standing upon his hands and head, and kicking his heels inthe air!

Now Hendrik happened to be one of those very boys who had oftenpractised this little bit of gymnastics for amusement; and he couldstand upon his head like an acrobat. 

Without losing a moment he placed his rifle upon the ground, between hishands, and hoisting his feet into the air, commenced kicking them about, clinking them together, and crossing them in the most fantastic manner. 

He had placed himself so that his face was turned towards the animals, while he stood upon his head. Of course he could not see them while inthis position, as the grass was a foot high; but, at intervals, hepermitted his feet to descend to the earth; and then, by looking betweenhis legs, he could tell how the ruse was succeeding. 

It _did_ succeed. The buck, on first perceiving the strange object, uttered a sharp whistle, and darted off with the swiftness of a bird--for the "ourebi" is one of the swiftest of African antelopes. The doefollowed, though not so fast, and soon fell into the rear. 

The buck, perceiving this, suddenly halted--as if ashamed of his want ofgallantry--wheeled round, and galloped back, until he was once morebetween the doe and the odd thing that had alarmed him. 

What could this odd thing be? he now seemed to inquire of himself. Itwas not a lion, nor a leopard, nor a hyena, nor yet a jackal. It wasneither fox, nor fennec, nor earth-wolf, nor wild hound, nor any of hiswell-known enemies. It was not a Bushman neither, for they are notdouble-headed as it appeared. What _could_ it be? It had kept itsplace--it had not pursued him. Perhaps it was not at all dangerous. Nodoubt it was harmless enough. 

So reasoned the ourebi. His curiosity overcame his fear. He would go alittle nearer. He would have a better view of the thing before he tookto flight. No matter what it was, it could do no hurt at that distance;and as to _overtaking him_, pah! there wasn't a creature, biped orquadruped, in all Africa that he could not fling dust in the face of. 

So he went a little nearer, and then a little nearer still, andcontinued to advance by successive runs, now this way and now that way, zigzagging over the plain, until he was within less than a hundred pacesof the odd object that at first light had so terrified him. 

His companion, the doe, kept close after him; and seemed quite ascurious as himself--her large shining eyes opened to their full extent, as she stopped to gaze at intervals. 

Sometimes the two met each other in their course; and halted a moment, as though they held consultation in whispers; and asked each other ifthey had yet made out the character of the stranger. 

It was evident, however, that neither had done so--as they stillcontinued to approach it with looks and gestures of inquiry and wonder. 

At length the odd object disappeared for a moment under the grass; andthen reappeared, --but this time in an altered form. Something about itglanced brightly under the sun, and this glancing quite fascinated thebuck, so that he could not stir from the spot, but stood eyeing itsteadily. 

Fatal fascination! It was his last gaze. A bright flash shot up--something struck him through the heart, and he saw the shining object nomore!

The doe bounded forward to where her mate had fallen, and stood bleatingover him. She knew not the cause of his sudden death, but she saw thathe was dead. The wound in his side--the stream of red blood--were underher eyes. She had never witnessed death in that form before, but sheknew her lover was dead. His silence--his form stretched along thegrass motionless and limber--his glassy eyes--all told her he had ceasedto live. 

She would have fled, but she could not leave him--she could not bear topart even from his lifeless form. She would remain a while, and mournover him. 

Her widowhood was a short one. Again flashed the priming, --againcracked the shining tube--and the sorrowing doe fell over upon the bodyof her mate. 

The young hunter rose to his feet, and ran forward. He did not, according to usual custom, stop to load before approaching his quarry. The plain was perfectly level, and he saw no other animal upon it. Whatwas his surprise on reaching the antelopes, to perceive that there was a_third_ one of the party still alive!

Yes, a little fawn, not taller than a rabbit, was bounding about throughthe grass, running around the prostrate body of its mother, and utteringits tiny bleat. 

Hendrik was surprised, because he had not observed this creature before;but, indeed, he had not seen much of the antelopes until the moment oftaking aim, and the grass had concealed the tiny young one. 

Hunter as Hendrik was, he could not help feeling strongly as he regardedthe _tableau_ before him. But he felt that he had not wantonlydestroyed these creatures for mere amusement, and that satisfied hisconscience. 

The little fawn would make a famous pet for Jan, who had often wishedfor one, to be equal with his sister. It could be fed upon the cow'smilk, and, though it had lost both father and mother, Hendrik resolvedthat it should be carefully brought up. He had no difficulty incapturing it, as it refused to leave the spot where its mother lay, andHendrik soon held the gentle creature in his arms. 

He then tied the buck and doe together; and, having fastened a strongcord round the horns of the latter, he set off dragging the twoantelopes behind him. 

As these lay upon the ground, heads foremost, they were drawn _with thegrain of the hair_, which made it much easier; and as there was nothingbut grass sward to be passed over, the young hunter succeeded in takingthe whole of his game to camp without any great difficulty. 

The joy of all was great, at seeing such a fine lot of venison, butJan's rejoicing was greater than all; and he no longer envied Truey thepossession of her little gazelle. 

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR. 

LITTLE JAN'S ADVENTURE. 

It would have been better that Jan had never seen the little "ourebi, "--better both for Jan and the antelope, for that night the innocentcreature was the cause of a terrible panic in the camp. 

They had all gone to sleep as on the previous night, --Von Bloom and thefour children in the wagon, while the Bushman and Totty slept upon thegrass. The latter lay under the wagon; but Swartboy had kindled a largefire at a little distance from it, and beside this had stretchedhimself, rolled up in his sheep-skin kaross. 

They had all gone to sleep without being disturbed by the hyenas. Thiswas easily accounted for. The three horses that had been shot that dayoccupied the attention of these gentry, for their hideous voices couldbe heard off in the direction where the carcasses lay. Having enough togive them a supper, they found no occasion to risk themselves in theneighbourhood of the camp, where they had experienced such a hostilereception on the previous night. So reasoned Von Bloom, as he turnedover and fell asleep. 

He did not reason correctly, however. It was true that the hyenas werejust then making a meal upon the horses; but it was a mistake to supposethat that would satisfy these ravenous brutes, who never seem to haveenough. Long before morning, had Von Bloom been awake he would haveheard the maniac laugh closer to the camp, and might have seen the greeneyes of the hyena glancing under the expiring blaze of Swartboy'scamp-fire. 

Indeed, he had heard the beasts once that he awoke; but, knowing thatthe biltongue had been this night placed out of their reach, andthinking that there was nothing to which they could do any harm, he gaveno heed to their noisy demonstrations, and went to sleep again. 

He was awakened, however, by a shrill squeak, as of some animal in theagonies of death; and then there was a second squeak, that seemed to besuddenly interrupted by the stifling of the creature's utterance!

In these cries Von Bloom, as well as the others--who were now alsoawake--recognised the bleat of the ourebi, for they had heard it severaltimes during the afternoon. 

"The hyenas are killing it!" thought they. But they had not time to sayso, before another and far different cry reached their ears, and causedthem all to start as if a bomb-shell had burst under the wagon. Thatcry was the voice of Jan, and sounded in the same direction whence camethe scream of the stifled antelope!

"O heaven! what could it mean?"

The child's voice first reached them in a sudden screech--then there wasa confused noise resembling a scuffle--and Jan was again heard cryingaloud for help, while at the same time his voice was interrupted, andeach call appeared to come from a greater distance! _Something orsomebody was carrying him off_!

This idea occurred to Von Bloom, Hans, and Hendrik, at the same instant. Of course it filled them with consternation; and, as they were scarceyet awake, they knew not what to do. 

The cries of Jan, however, soon brought them to their senses; and to runtowards the direction whence these came was the first thought of all. 

To grope for their guns would waste time, and all three leaped out ofthe wagon without them. 

Totty was upon her feet and jabbering, but she knew no more than theywhat had happened. 

They did not stop long to question her. The voice of Swartboy, utteredin loud barks and clicks, summoned them elsewhere; and they now beheld ared flaming brand rushing through the darkness, which no doubt wascarried in the hands of that worthy. 

They started off in the direction of the blazing torch, and ran as fastas they could. They still heard the Bushman's voice, and to theirdismay _beyond it_ the screams of little Jan!

Of course they could not tell what was causing all this. They onlypressed on with fearful apprehensions. 

When they had got within some fifty paces of the torch, they perceivedit suddenly descend, then raised again, and again brought down, in arapid and violent manner! They could hear the voice of the Bushmanbarking and clicking louder than ever, as though he was engaged inchastising some creature. 

But Jan's voice they no longer heard--he was screaming no more--was hedead?

With terrible forebodings they rushed on. 

When they arrived upon the spot, a singular picture presented itself totheir eyes. Jan lay upon the ground, close in by the roots of somebushes which he was holding tightly in his grasp. From one of hiswrists extended a stout thong, or _rheim_, which passed through amongthe bushes to the distance of several feet; and, fast to its other end, was the ourebi fawn, dead, and terribly mangled! Over the spot stoodSwartboy with his burning tree, which blazed all the brighter that hehad just been using it over the back of a ravenous hyena. The latterwas not in sight. It had long since skulked off, but no one thought ofpursuit, as all were too anxious about Jan. 

No time was lost in lifting the child to his feet. The eyes of all raneagerly over him to see where he was wounded; and an exclamation of joysoon broke forth when they saw that, except the scratches of the thorns, and the deep track of a cord upon his wrist, nothing in the shape of awound could be discovered upon his diminutive body. He had now come tohimself, and assured them all that he was not hurt a bit. Hurrah! Janwas safe!

It now fell to Jan's lot to explain all this mysterious business. 

He had been lying in the wagon along with the rest, but not like themasleep. No. He could not sleep a wink for thinking on his new pet, which, for want of room in the wagon, had been left below tied to one ofthe wheels. 

Jan had taken it into his head that he would like to have another lookat the ourebi before going to sleep. So, without saying a word to anyone, he crept out of the cap-tent, and descended to where the antelopewas tied. He unloosed it gently, and then led it forward to the lightof the fire, where he sat down to admire the creature. 

After gazing upon it for some time with delight, he thought thatSwartboy could not do otherwise than share his feelings; and withoutmore ado, he shook the Bushman awake. 

The latter had no great stomach for being roused out of sleep to look atan animal, hundreds of which he had eaten in his time. But Jan andSwartboy were sworn friends, and the Bushman was not angry. He, therefore, indulged his young master in the fancy he had taken; and thetwo sat for a while conversing about the pet. 

At length Swartboy proposed sleep. Jan would agree to this only uponthe terms that Swartboy would allow him to sleep alongside of him. Hewould bring his blanket from the wagon, and would not trouble Swartboyby requiring part of the latter's kaross. 

Swartboy objected at first; but Jan urged that he had felt cold in thewagon, and that was partly why he had come down to the fire. All thiswas sheer cunning in the little imp. But Swartboy could not refuse himanything, and at length consented. He could see no harm in it, as therewere no signs of rain. 

Jan then returned to the wagon, climbed noiselessly up, drew out his ownblankets, and brought them to the fire. He then wrapped himself up, andlay down alongside of Swartboy, with the ourebi standing near, and insuch a situation that he could still have his eyes upon it, even whenlying. To secure it from wandering, he had fastened a strong rheimaround its neck, the other end of which he had looped tightly upon hisown wrist. 

He lay for some time contemplating his beautiful pet. But sleep atlength overcame him, and the image of the ourebi melted before his eyes. 

Beyond this Jan could tell little of what happened to him. He wasawakened by a sudden jerking at his wrist, and hearing the antelopescream. But he had not quite opened his eyes, before he felt himselfdragged violently over the ground. 

He thought at first it was Swartboy playing some trick upon him; but ashe passed the fire, he saw by its light that it was a huge black animalthat had seized the ourebi, and was dragging both him and it along. 

Of course he then began to scream for help, and caught at everything hecould to keep himself from being carried away. But he could lay hold ofnothing, until he found himself among thick bushes, and these he seizedand held with all his might. 

He could not have held out long against the strength of the hyena; butit was just at that moment that Swartboy came up with his firebrand, andbeat off the ravisher with a shower of blows. 

When they got back to the light of the fire they found that Jan was allright. But the poor ourebi--it had been sadly mangled, and was now ofno more value than a dead rat. 

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE. 

A CHAPTER UPON HYENAS. 

Hyenas are wolves--only wolves of a particular kind. They have the samegeneral habits as wolves, and much of their look. They have heavierheads, broader thicker muzzles, shorter and stouter necks, andaltogether a coarser and shaggier coat. One of the most characteristicmarks of the hyena is the inequality in the development of its limbs. The hind-legs appear weaker and shorter than the fore ones, so that therump is far lower than the shoulders; and the line of the back, insteadof being horizontal, as in most animals, droops obliquely towards thetail. 

The short thick neck and strong jaws are characteristics; the former somuch so, that in the days of fabulous natural history the hyena was saidto be without cervical vertebrae. Its thick neck and powerful jaw-boneshave their uses. It is by virtue of these that the hyena can make ameal upon bones, which would be of no use whatever to the ordinary wolfor other beast of prey. It can break almost the largest and strongestjoints, and not only extract their marrow, but crush the bonesthemselves, and swallow them as food. Here, again, we have proof ofNature's adaptation. It is just where these large bones are found ingreatest plenty that we find the hyena. Nature suffers nothing to bewasted. 

Hyenas are the wolves of Africa--that is, they are in Africa therepresentatives of the large wolf, which does not exist there. It istrue the jackal is a wolf in every respect, but only a small one; andthere is no true wolf in Africa of the large kind, such as the gauntrobber of the Pyrenees, or his twin brother of America. But the hyenais the _wolf of Africa_. 

And of all wolves he is the ugliest and most brute-like. There is not agraceful or beautiful bit about him. In fact, I was about to pronouncehim the ugliest animal in creation, when the baboons came into my mind. They of course exhibit the _ne plus ultra_ of ugliness; and, indeed, thehyenas are not at all unlike them in general aspect, as well as in someof their habits. Some early writers even classed them together. 

Now we have been speaking of the hyena, as if there was but one species. For a long time but one was known--the common or "striped hyena"(_Hyena vulgaris_), and it was about this one that so many false storieshave been told. Perhaps no other animal has held so conspicuous a placein the world of mystery and horror. Neither vampire nor dragon havesurpassed him. Our ancestors believed that he could fascinate any onewith his glance, lure them after him, and then devour them--that hechanged his sex every year--that he could transform himself into acomely youth, and thus beguile young maidens off into the woods to beeaten up--that he could imitate the human voice perfectly--that it washis custom to conceal himself near a house, listen until the name of oneof the family should be mentioned, then call out as if for assistance, pronouncing the name he had heard, and imitating the cries of one indistress. This would bring out the person called, who of course onreaching the spot would find only a fierce hyena ready to devour him!

Strange as it may seem, all these absurd stories were once verygenerally believed, and, strange as it may seem in me to say, not one ofthem but has _some_ foundation. Exaggerated as they are, they all owetheir origin to natural facts. At present I shall refer to only two ofthese. There is a peculiarity about the glance of the hyena that hasgiven birth to the notion of his possessing the power to "charm" orfascinate, although I never heard of his luring any one to destructionby it; there is a peculiarity about the animal's voice that might wellgain him credit for imitating the human voice, for the simple reasonthat the former bears a very near resemblance to the latter. I do notsay that the voice of the hyena is like the ordinary human voice, butthere are some voices it does exactly resemble. I am acquainted withseveral people who have _hyena voices_. In fact, one of the closestimitations of a human laugh is that of the "spotted hyena. " No one canhear it, hideous as it is, without being amused at its closeapproximation to the utterance of a human being. There is a dash of themaniac in its tones, and it reminds me of the sharp metallic ring whichI have noticed in the voices of negroes. I have already compared it towhat I should fancy would be the laugh of a _maniac negro_. 

The striped hyena, although the best known, is in my opinion the leastinteresting of his kind. He is more widely distributed than any of hiscongeners. Found in most parts of Africa, he is also an Asiatic animal, is common enough throughout all the southern countries of Asia, and iseven found as far north as the Caucasus and the Altai. He is the onlyspecies that exists in Asia. All the others are natives of Africa, which is the true home of the hyena. 

Naturalists admit but _three_ species of hyena. I have not theslightest doubt that there are twice that number as distinct from eachother as these three are. Five, at least, I know, without reckoning ashyenas either the "wild hound" of the Cape, or the little burrowinghyena (_Proteles_)--both of which we shall no doubt meet with in thecourse of our hunting adventures. 

First, then, we have the "striped" hyena already mentioned. He isusually of an ashy grey colour with a slight yellowish tinge, and a setof irregular _striae_, or stripes of black or dark brown. These areplaced transversely to the length of his body, or rather obliquely, following nearly the direction of the ribs. They are not equally welldefined or conspicuous in different individuals of the species. Thehair--like that of all hyenas--is long, harsh, and shaggy, but longerover the neck, shoulders, and back, where it forms a mane. This becomeserect when the animal is excited. The same may be observed among dogs. 

The common hyena is far from being either strong or brave, when comparedwith the others of his kind. He is, in fact, the weakest and leastferocious of the family. He is sufficiently voracious, but liveschiefly on carrion, and will not dare attack living creatures of halfhis own strength. He preys only on the smallest quadrupeds, and withall his voracity he is an arrant poltroon. A child of ten years willeasily put him to flight. 

A second species is the hyena which so much annoyed the celebrated Brucewhile travelling in Abyssinia, and may be appropriately named "Bruce'shyena. " This is also a _striped_ hyena, and nearly all naturalists haveset him down as of the same species with the _Hyena vulgaris_. Excepting the "stripes, " there is no resemblance whatever between thetwo species; and even these are differently arranged, while the groundcolour also differs. 

Bruce's hyena is nearly twice the size of the common kind--with twicehis strength, courage, and ferocity. The former will attack not onlylarge quadrupeds, but man himself, --will enter houses by night, evenvillages, and carry off domestic animals and children. 

Incredible as these statements may appear, about their truth there canbe no doubt; such occurrences are by no means rare. 

This hyena has the reputation of entering graveyards, and disinterringthe dead bodies to feed upon them. Some naturalists have denied this. For what reason? It is well-known that in many parts of Africa, thedead are not interred, but thrown out on the plains. It is equallywell-known that the hyenas devour the bodies so exposed. It is known, too, that the hyena is a "terrier"--a burrowing animal. What is therestrange or improbable in supposing that it burrows to get at the bodies, its natural food? The wolf does so, the jackal, the coyote, --ay, eventhe dog! I have seen all of them at it on the battle-field. Why notthe hyena?

A third species is very distinct from either of the two described--the"spotted hyena" (_Hyena crocuta_). This is also sometimes called the"laughing" hyena, from the peculiarity we have had occasion to speak of. This species, in general colour, is not unlike the common kind, exceptthat, instead of stripes, his sides are covered with spots. He islarger than the _Hyena vulgaris_, and in character resembles Bruce's, orthe Abyssinian hyena. He is a native of the southern half of Africa, where he is known among the Dutch colonists as the "tiger-wolf;" whilethe common hyena is by them simply called "wolf. "

A fourth species is the "brown hyena" (_Hyena villosa_). The name"brown" hyena is not a good one, as brown colour is by no means acharacteristic of this animal. _Hyena villosa_, or "hairy hyena, " isbetter, as the long, straight hair falling down his sides gives him apeculiar aspect, and at once distinguishes him from any of the others. He is equally as large and fierce as any, being of the size of a SaintBernard mastiff, but it is difficult to imagine how any one couldmistake him for either a striped or spotted hyena. His colour is darkbrown, or nearly black above, and dirty grey beneath. In fact, ingeneral colour and the arrangement of his hair, he is not unlike abadger or wolverine. 

And yet many naturalists describe this as being of the same species asthe common hyena--the learned De Blainville among the rest. The mostignorant boor of South Africa--for he is a South African animal--knowsbetter than this. Their very appellation of "straand-wolf" points outhis different habits and haunts--for he is a seashore animal, and noteven found in such places as are the favourite resorts of the commonhyena. 

There is still another "brown hyena, " which differs altogether from thisone, and is an inhabitant of the Great Desert. He is shorter-haired andof uniform brown colour, but like the rest in habits and generalcharacter. No doubt, when the central parts of Africa have beenthoroughly explored, several species of hyena will be added to the listof those already known. 

The habits of the hyenas are not unlike those of the larger wolves. They dwell in caves, of clefts of rocks. Some of them use the burrowsof other animals for their lair, which they can enlarge for themselves--as they are provided with burrowing claws. 

They are not tree-climbers, as their claws are not sufficientlyretractile for that. It is in their teeth their main dependence lies, and in the great strength of their jaws. 

Hyenas are solitary animals, though often troops of them are seentogether, attracted by the common prey. A dozen or more will meet overa carcass, but each goes his own way on leaving it. They are extremelyvoracious; will eat up almost anything--even scraps of leather or oldshoes! Bones they break and swallow as though these were pieces oftender flesh. They are bold, particularly with the poor natives, who donot hunt them with a view to extermination. They enter the miserablekraals of the natives, and often carry off their children. It ispositively true that hundreds of children have been destroyed by hyenasin Southern Africa!

It is difficult for you to comprehend why this is permitted--why thereis not a war of extermination carried on against the hyenas, until thesebrutes are driven out of the land. You cannot comprehend such a stateof things, because you do not take into account the difference betweensavage and civilised existence. You will suppose that human life inAfrica is held of far less value than it is in England; but if youthoroughly understood political science, you would discover that many alaw of civilised life calls for its victims in far greater numbers thando the hyenas. The empty review, the idle court fete, the reception ofan emperor, all require, as their natural sequence, the sacrifice ofmany lives!

CHAPTER TWENTY SIX. 

A HOUSE AMONG THE TREE-TOPS. 

Von Bloom now reflected that the hyenas were likely to prove a greatpest to him. No meat, nor anything, would be safe from them--even hisvery children would be in danger, if left alone in the camp; and nodoubt he would often be compelled to leave them, as he would require theolder ones upon his hunting excursions. 

There were other animals to be dreaded still more than the hyenas. Evenduring that night they had heard the roaring of lions down by the vley;and when it was morning, the spoor showed that several of these animalshad drunk at the water. 

How could he leave little Truey--his dear little Truey--or Jan, who wasnot a bit bigger--how could he leave them in an open camp while suchmonsters were roving about? He could not think of doing so. 

He reflected what course he should pursue. At first he thought ofputting up a house. That would necessarily be a work of time. Therewas no good building material convenient. A stone house would cost agreat deal of labour--as the stones would have to be carried nearly amile, and in their hands too. That would never do, as Von Bloom mightonly remain a short while at that place. He might not find manyelephants there, and of course would be under the necessity of goingelsewhere. 

Why not build a log-house? you will say. That would not be so much of ajob, as part of the country was well wooded, and they had an axe. 

True, part of the country was wooded, but in a particular manner. Withthe exception of the nwana-trees, that stood at long distances apart--and regularly, as if they had been planted--there was nothing thatdeserved the name of timber. All the rest was mere "bush, "--a thornyjungle of mimosas, euphorbias, arborescent aloes, strelitzias, and thehorrid zamia plants, beautiful enough to the eye, but of no utilitywhatever in the building of a house. The nwanas, of course, were toolarge for house-logs. To have felled one of them would have been a taskequal almost to the building of a house; and to have made planks of themwould have required a steam saw-mill. A log-house was not to be thoughtof either. 

Now a frail structure of poles and thatch would not have givensufficient security. An angry rhinoceros, or elephant, would level sucha house to the ground in a few moments. 

Suppose, too, that there were _man-eaters_ in the neighbourhood. Swartboy believed that there were, and that that region was notoriousfor them. As it was not far from Swartboy's native country, Von Bloom, who had reason to believe what the Bushman told him, was inclined tocredit this. What protection would a frail house afford against the_man-eater_? Not much, indeed. 

Von Bloom was puzzled and perplexed. He could not commence his huntingexcursions until this question was settled. Some place must beprepared, where the children would be safe during his absence. 

While revolving the subject in his mind, he happened to cast his eyesupward among the branches of the nwana-tree. All at once his attentionbecame fixed upon those huge limbs, for they had awakened within him astrange memory. He remembered having heard that, in some parts of thecountry, and perhaps not very far from where he then was, the natives_live in trees_. That sometimes a whole tribe, of fifty or more, maketheir home in a single tree; and do so to secure themselves againstsavage beasts, and sometimes equally savage men. That they build theirhouses upon platforms, which they erect upon the horizontal branches;and that they ascend by means of ladders, which are drawn up after themat night when they go to rest. 

All this Von Bloom had heard, and all of it is positively true. Ofcourse the reflection occurred to him, why could _he_ not do the same?Why could he not build a house in the gigantic nwana? That would givehim all the security he desired. There they could all sleep withperfect confidence of safety. There, on going out to hunt, he couldleave the children, with the certainty of finding them on his return. An admirable idea!--how about its practicability?

He began to consider this. If he only had planks to make a staging orplatform, the rest would be easy. Any slight roof would be sufficientup there. The leaves almost formed a roof. But the flooring--this wasthe difficulty. Where were planks to be got? Nowhere, in thatneighbourhood. 

His eye, at that moment, chanced to fall upon the wagon. Ha! there wereplanks there. But to break up his beautiful wagon? No--no--no! Such athing was not to be thought of. 

But stay! there was no need to _break_ it up--no need to knock out asingle nail. It would serve every purpose without breaking a splinteroff it. The fine vehicle was made to take to pieces, and put up againat will. 

He could take it to pieces. The broad bottom alone should remain whole. That of itself would be the platform. Hurrah!

The field-cornet, excited with the development of this fine plan, nowcommunicated it to the others. All agreed that it was just the thing;and as the day was before them, they made no more ado, but set aboutcarrying out the design. 

A ladder thirty feet long had first to be constructed. This occupied agood while; but at length a stout rough article was knocked up, whichserved the purpose admirably. It gave them access to the lowermostlimb; and from this they could construct steps to all the others. 

Von Bloom ascended, and after careful examination chose the site of theplatform. This was to rest upon two strong horizontal limbs of equalheight, and diverging very gradually from each other. The quantity ofthick branches in the great tree afforded him a choice. 

The wagon was now taken to pieces--a work of only a few minutes--and thefirst thing hauled up was the bottom. This was no slight performance, and required all the strength of the camp. Strong "rheims" wereattached to one end, and these were passed over a limb of the tree, still higher up than those on which the staging was to rest. One stoodabove to guide the huge piece of plank-work, while all the rest exertedtheir strength upon the ropes below. Even little Jan pulled with allhis might--though a single pound avoirdupois weight would have beenabout the measure of _his_ strength. 

The piece was hoisted up, until it rested beautifully upon thesupporting limbs; and then a cheer rose from below, and was answered bySwartboy among the branches. 

The heaviest part of the work was over. The boxing of the wagon waspassed up, piece by piece, and set in its place just as before. Somebranches were lopped off to make room for the cap-tent, and then it wasalso hauled up, and mounted. 

By the time the sun set, everything was in its place; and the aerialhouse was ready for sleeping in. In fact, that very night they slept init, or, as Hans jocularly termed it, they all went to "roost. "

But they did not consider their new habitation quite complete as yet. Next day they continued to labour upon it. By means of long poles theyextended their platform from the wagon quite up to the trunk of thetree, so as to give them a broad terrace to move about upon. 

The poles were fast wattled together by rods of the beautifulweeping-willow (_Salix Babylonica_), which is a native of these parts, and several trees of which grew by the side of the vley. Upon the topof all, they laid a thick coating of clay, obtained from the edge of thelake; so that, if need be, they could actually kindle a fire, and tooktheir suppers in the tree. 

To make a still finer flooring, they procured a quantity of the materialof which the ant-hills are composed; which, being of a glutinous nature, makes a mortar almost as binding as Roman cement. 

After the main building had been finished off, Swartboy erected aplatform for himself, and one for Totty in another part of the amplenwana. Above each of these platforms he had constructed a roof orscreen, to shelter their occupants from rain or dew. 

There was something odd in the appearance of these two screens, each ofwhich was about the size of an ordinary umbrella. Their oddityconsisted in the fact that they were _ears of the elephant_!

CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN. 

THE BATTLE OF THE WILD PEACOCKS. 

There was no longer anything to hinder the field-cornet from commencingthe real business of his new life, viz. The hunting of the elephant. Heresolved, therefore, to begin at once; for until he should succeed in"bagging" a few of these giant animals, he was not easy in his mind. Hemight not be able to kill a single one; and then what would become ofall his grand hopes and calculations? They would end in disappointment, and he should find himself in as bad a condition as ever. Indeed worse:for to fail in any undertaking is not only to lose time, but energy ofmind. Success begets genius, courage, and self-reliance--all of whichcontribute to new successes; while failure intimidates and leads todespair. In a psychological point of view it is a dangerous thing tofail in any undertaking; and, therefore, before undertaking anything, one should be well assured of its being possible and practicable. 

Now Von Bloom was not sure that the great design he had formed waspracticable. But in this case, he had no choice. No other means oflivelihood was open to him just then; and he had resolved to make trialof this. He had faith in his calculations, and he had also good reasonto hope he would succeed; but the thing was yet untried. No wonder hewas in haste to begin the business--in haste to know what were hischances of success. 

By early day, therefore, he was up and out. Hendrik and Swartboy onlyaccompanied him, for he could not yet bring himself to leave thechildren with no other protection than Totty--almost as much a child asthemselves. Hans, therefore, remained by the camp. 

At first the hunters followed the little rivulet that ran from thespring and vley. They did so, because in this direction there was more"bush;" and they knew that elephants would be more likely to be found inwoods than in open places. Indeed, it was only near the banks of thestream that any great quantity of wood was to be seen. A broad belt ofjungle extended upon each side of it. After that, there were stragglinggroves and clumps; and then came the open plains, almost treeless, though covered with a rich carpet of grass for some distance farther. To this succeeded the wild karoo, stretching eastward and westwardbeyond the reach of vision. Along the north, as already mentioned, trended the line of "bluffs;" and beyond these there was nothing but theparched and waterless desert. To the south there lay the only thingthat could be called "woods;" and although such a low jungle could layno claim to the title of "forest, " it was, nevertheless, a likely enoughhaunt for elephants. 

The trees consisted chiefly of mimosas--of several species; upon theleaves, roots, and tender shoots of which the great ruminant loves tobrowse. There were some "cameel-doorn" trees, with their shadyumbrella-like tops. But above all rose the massive heads of the nwanas, giving a peculiar character to the landscape. 

The hunters noticed, as they went on, that the channel of the rivuletbecame wider and larger and that at times--no doubt after great rains--alarge quantity of water must have run in its bed, forming a considerableriver. But as the channel grew larger, the reverse was the case withthe quantity of running water. The farther down they proceeded thisbecame less and less; until, at the distance of a mile from camp, thecurrent ceased altogether. 

For half-a-mile farther on they found water in stagnant pools, but nonerunning. The wide, dry channel, however, continued on as before; andthe "bush" extended on both sides without interruption, so thick thatthey could only make way by keeping in the channel itself. 

As they walked along, several kinds of small game were started. Hendrikwould gladly have taken a shot at some of these, but his father wouldnot permit him to fire just then. It might frighten away the great"game" they were in search of, and which they might fall in with at anymoment. On their return Hendrik might do his best; and then thefield-cornet intended to assist him in procuring an antelope, as therewas no fresh venison in the camp. This, however, was a consideration ofsecondary importance, and the first thing to be done was to try and geta pair of tusks. 

There was no objection to Swartboy using his bow, as that silent weaponwould cause no alarm. Swartboy had been taken along to carry the axeand other implements, as well as to assist in the hunt. Of course hehad brought his bow and quiver with him; and he was constantly on thewatch for something at which to let fly on of his little poisonedarrows. 

He found a mark at length worthy of his attention. On crossing theplain to avoid a large bend in the channel, they came upon a glade oropening of considerable size, and in the middle of this glade a hugebird appeared standing erect. "An ostrich!" exclaimed Hendrik. "No, "replied Swartboy; "um ar da pauw. "

"Yes, " said Von Bloom, confirming Swartboy's statement, "it is thepauw. "

Now a "pauw" in the Dutch language is a "peacock. " But there are nopeacocks in Africa. The peacock in its wild state inhabits onlySouthern Asia and the islands of the Indian Archipelago. The bird theysaw, then, could not be a peacock. 

Neither was it one. And yet it bore some resemblance to a peacock, withits long heavy tail and wings speckled and ocellated in a very strikingmanner, and something like the "marbled" feathers that adorn thepeacock's back. It had none of the brilliant colours, however, of thatproudest of birds, though it was quite as stately, and much larger andtaller. In fact, its great height and erect attitude was why Hendrik atfirst glance had taken it for an ostrich. It was neither peacock norostrich, but belonging to a different genus from either--to the genus_Otis_ or bustard. It was the great bustard of South Africa--the _Otiskori_--called "pauw" by the Dutch colonists, on account of its ocellatedplumage and other points of resemblance to the Indian peacock. 

Now Swartboy, as well as Von Bloom, knew that the pauw was one of themost delicious of fowls for the table. But they knew at the same timethat it was one of the shyest of birds, --so shy that it is verydifficult to get even a long shot at one. How, then, was it to beapproached within range of the Bushman's arrow? That was the point tobe considered. 

Where it stood, it was full two hundred yards from them; and had itperceived them, it would soon have widened that distance, by running offtwo hundred more. I say _running_ off, for birds of the bustard familyrarely take to wing, but use their long legs to escape from an enemy. On this account they are often hunted by dogs, and caught after a severechase. Although but poor flyers, they are splendid runners, --swiftalmost as the ostrich itself. 

The pauw, however, had not observed the hunters as yet. They had caughta glimpse of it, before appearing out of the bushes, and had halted assoon as they saw it. 

How was Swartboy to approach it? It was two hundred yards from anycover, and the ground was as clean as a new-raked meadow. True, theplain was not a large one. Indeed, Swartboy was rather surprised to seea pauw upon so small a one, for these birds frequent only the wide openkaroos, where they can sight their enemy at a great distance. The gladewas not large, but, after watching the bustard for some minutes, thehunters saw that it was resolved to keep near the centre, and showed nodisposition to feed in the direction of the thicket on either side. 

Any one but a Bushman would have despaired of getting a shot at thiskori; but Swartboy did not despair. 

Begging the others to remain quiet, he crept forward to the edge of thejungle, and placed himself behind a thick leafy bush. He then commenceduttering a call, exactly similar to that made by the male of the koriwhen challenging an adversary to combat. 

Like the grouse, the bustard is polygamous, and of course terriblyjealous and pugnacious, at certain seasons of the year. Swartboy knewthat it was just then the "fighting season" among the pauws, and hopedby imitating their challenge to draw the bird--a cock he saw it was--within reach of his arrow. 

As soon as the kori heard the call, he raised himself to his fullheight, spread his immense tail, dropped his wings until the primaryfeathers trailed along the grass, and replied to the challenge. 

But what now astonished Swartboy was, that instead of one answer to hiscall, he fancied he heard _two_, simultaneously uttered!

It proved to be no fancy, for before he could repeat the decoy the birdagain gave out its note of defiance, and was answered by a similar callfrom another quarter. 

Swartboy looked in the direction whence came the latter; and there, sureenough, was a second kori, that seemed to have dropped from the regionof the clouds, or, more likely, had run out from the shelter of thebushes. At all events, it was a good way towards the centre of theplain, before the hunter had observed it. 

The two were now in full view of each other; and by their movements anyone might see that a combat was certain to come off. 

Sure of this, Swartboy did not call again; but remained silent behindhis bush. 

After a good while spent in strutting, and wheeling round and round, andputting themselves in the most threatening attitudes, and uttering themost insulting expressions, the two koris became sufficiently provokedto begin the battle. They "clinched" in gallant style, using all threeweapons, --wings, beak, and feet. Now they struck each other with theirwings, now pecked with their bills; and at intervals, when a goodopportunity offered, gave each other a smart kick--which, with theirlong muscular legs, they were enabled to deliver with considerableforce. 

Swartboy knew that when they were well into the fight, he might stalk inupon them unobserved; so he waited patiently, till the proper momentshould arrive. 

In a few seconds it became evident, he would not have to move from hisambush; for the birds were fighting towards him. He adjusted his arrowto the string, and waited. 

In five minutes the birds were fighting within thirty yards of the spotwhere the Bushman lay. The twang of a bowstring might have been heardby one of the koris, had he been listening. The other could notpossibly have heard it; for before the sound could have reached him, apoisoned arrow was sticking through his ears. The barb had passedthrough, and the shaft remained in his head, piercing it crosswise!

Of course the bird dropped dead upon the grass, less astonished than hisantagonist. 

The latter at first imagined _he_ had done it, and began to strut verytriumphantly around his fallen foe. 

But his eye now fell upon the arrow sticking through the head of thelatter. He knew nothing about that. _He_ had not done _that_! Whatthe deuce--

Perhaps if he had been allowed another moment's reflection, he wouldhave taken to his heels; but before he could make up his mind about thematter, there was another "twang" of the bowstring, another arrowwhistled through the air, and another kori lay stretched upon the grass. 

Swartboy now rushed forward, and took possession of the game; whichproved to be a pair of young cocks, in prime condition for roasting. 

Having hung the birds over a high branch, so as to secure them fromjackals and hyenas, the hunters continued on; and shortly after, havingre-entered the channel of the stream, continued to follow it downward. 

CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT. 

UPON THE "SPOOR. "

They had not gone above an hundred yards farther, when they came to oneof the pools, already spoken of. It was a tolerably large one; and themud around its edges bore the hoof-prints of numerous animals. This thehunters saw from a distance, but on reaching the spot, Swartboy a littlein the advance, turned suddenly round, and, with rolling orbs andquivering lips, clicked out the words, --

"Mein baas! mein baas! da klow! spoor ob da groot olifant!"

There was no danger of mistaking the spoor of the elephant for that ofany other creature. There, sure enough, were the great round tracks--full twenty-four inches in length, and nearly as wide--deeply imprintedin the mud by the enormous weight of the animal's body. Each formed animmense hole, large enough to have set a gatepost in. 

The hunters contemplated the spoor with emotions of pleasure--the moreso that the tracks had been recently made. This was evident. Thedisplaced mud had not yet crusted, but looked damp and fresh. It hadbeen stirred within the hour. 

Only one elephant had visited the pool that night. There were many oldtracks, but only one fresh spoor, --and that of an old and very largebull. 

Of course the tracks told this much. To make a spoor twenty-four incheslong, requires the animal to be a very large one; and to be very large, he should be a bull, and an old one too. 

Well, the older and larger the better, provided his tusks have not beenbroken by some accident. When that happens they are never recoveredagain. The elephant _does_ cast his tusks, but only in the juvenilestate, when they are not bigger than lobster's claws; and the pair thatsucceeds these is permanent, and has to last him for life--perhaps _forcenturies_--for no one can tell how long the mighty elephant roams overthis sublunary planet. When the tusks get broken--a not uncommonthing--he must remain toothless or "tuskless" for the rest of his life. Although the elephant may consider the loss of his huge tusks a greatcalamity, were he only a little wiser, he would break them off againstthe first tree. It would, in all probability, be the means ofprolonging his life; for the hunter would not then consider him worththe ammunition it usually takes to kill him. 

After a short consultation among the hunters, Swartboy started off uponthe spoor, followed by Von Bloom and Hendrik. It led straight out fromthe channel, and across the jungle. 

Usually the bushes mark the course of an elephant, where these are ofthe sort he feeds upon. In this case he had not fed; but the Bushman, who could follow spoor with a hound, had no difficulty in keeping on thetrack, as fast as the three were able to travel. 

They emerged into open glades; and, after passing through several ofthese, came upon a large ant-hill that stood in the middle of one of theopenings. The elephant had passed close to the ant-hill--he had stoppedthere a while--stay, he must have lain down!

Von Bloom did not know that elephants were in the habit of lying down. He had always heard it said that they slept standing. Swartboy knewbetter than that. He said that they sometimes slept standing, butoftener lay down, especially in districts where they were not muchhunted. Swartboy considered it a good sign that this one had lain down. He reasoned from it that the elephants had not been disturbed in thatneighbourhood, and would be the more easily approached and killed. Theywould be less likely to make off from that part of the country, untilthey--the hunters--had had a "good pull" out of them. 

This last consideration was one of great importance. In a districtwhere elephants have been much hunted, and have learnt what the crack ofa gun signifies, a single day's chase will often set them travelling;and they will not bring up again, until they have gone far beyond thereach of the hunters. Not only the particular individuals that havebeen chased act in this way; but all the others, --as though warned bytheir companions, --until not an elephant remains in the district. Thismigratory habit is one of the chief difficulties which theelephant-hunter must needs encounter; and, when it occurs, he has noother resource but to change _his_ "sphere of action. "

On the other hand, where elephants have remained for a long timeundisturbed, the report of a gun does not terrify them; and they willbear a good deal of hunting before "showing their heels" and leaving theplace. 

Swartboy, therefore, rejoiced on perceiving that the old bull had laindown. The Bushman drew a world of conclusions from that circumstance. 

That the elephant had been lying was clear enough. The abrasion uponthe stiff mud of the ant-heap showed where his back had rested, --themark of his body was visible in the dust, and a groove-like furrow inthe turf had been made by his huge tusk. A huge one it must have been, as the impression of it testified to the keen eyes of the Bushman. 

Swartboy stated some curious facts about the great quadruped, --at least, what he alleged to be facts. They were, --that the elephant neverattempts to lie down without having something to lean his shouldersagainst, --a rock, an ant-hill, or a tree; that he does this to preventhimself from rolling over on his back, --that when he does by accidentget into that position he has great difficulty in rising again, and isalmost as helpless as a turtle; and, lastly, that he often sleepsstanding beside a tree with the whole weight of his body leaning againstthe trunk!

Swartboy did not think that he leans against the trunk when first takingup his position; but that he seeks the tree for the shade it affords, and as sleep overcomes him he inclines towards it, finding that itsteadies and rests him!

The Bushman stated, moreover, that some elephants have their favouritetrees, to which they return again and again to take a nap during the hotmidday hours, --for that is their time of repose. At night they do notsleep. On the contrary, the hours of night are spent in ranging about, on journeys to the distant watering-places, and in feeding; though inremote and quiet districts they also feed by day--so that it is probablethat most of their nocturnal activity is the result of their dread oftheir watchful enemy, man. 

Swartboy communicated these facts, as the hunters all together followedupon the spoor. 

The traces of the elephant were now of a different character, from whatthey had been before arriving at the ant-hill. He had been browsing ashe went. His nap had brought a return of appetite; and the wait-a-bitthorns showed the marks of his prehensile trunk. Here and therebranches were broken off, stripped clean of their leaves, and theligneous parts left upon the ground. In several places whole trees weretorn up by their roots, and those, too, of considerable size. This theelephant sometimes does to get at their foliage, which upon such treesgrows beyond the reach of his proboscis. By prostrating them of coursehe gets their whole frondage within easy distance of his elastic nose, and can strip it off at pleasure. At times, however, he tears up a treeto make a meal of its roots--as there are several species with sweetjuicy roots, of which the elephant is extremely fond. These he dragsout of the ground with his trunk, having first loosened them with histusks, used as crowbars. At times he fails to effect his purpose; andit is only when the ground is loose or wet, as after great rains, thathe can uproot the larger kinds of mimosas. Sometimes he is capricious;and, after drawing a tree from the ground, he carries it many yardsalong with him, flings it to the ground, root upwards, and then leavesit, after taking a single mouthful. Destructive to the forest is thepassage of a troop of elephants!

Small trees he can tear up with his trunk alone, but to the larger oneshe applies the more powerful leverage of his tusks. These he insertsunder the roots, imbedded as they usually are in loose sandy earth, andthen, with a quick jerk, he tosses roots, trunk, and branches, high intothe air, --a wonderful exhibition of gigantic power. 

The hunters saw all these proof's of it, as they followed the spoor. The traces of the elephant's strength were visible all along the route. 

It was enough to beget fear and awe, and none of them were free fromsuch feelings. With so much disposition to commit havoc and ruin in hismoments of quietude, what would such a creature be in the hour ofexcitement and anger? No wonder there was fear in the hearts of thehunters, unpractised as some of them were. 

Still another consideration had its effect upon their minds, particularly on that of the Bushman. There was every reason to believethat the animal was a "rover" (_rodeur_), --what among Indian hunters istermed a "rogue. " Elephants of this kind are far more dangerous toapproach than their fellows. In fact, under ordinary circumstances, there is no more danger in passing through a herd of elephants thanthere would be in going among a drove of tame oxen. It is only when theelephant has been attacked or wounded, that he becomes a dangerousenemy. 

With regard to the "rover" or "rogue, " the case is quite different. Heis habitually vicious; and will assail either man or any other animal insight, and without the slightest provocation. He seems to take apleasure in destruction, and woe to the creature who crosses his pathand is not of lighter heels than himself!

The rover leads a solitary life, rambling alone through, the forest, andnever associating with others of his kind. He appears to be a sort ofoutlaw from his tribe, banished for bad temper or some other fault, tobecome more fierce and wicked in his outlawry. 

There were good reasons for fearing that the elephant they were spooringwas a "rover. " His being alone was of itself a suspicious circumstance, as elephants usually go, from two to twenty, or even fifty, in a herd. The traces of ruin he had left behind him, his immense spoor, all seemedto mark him out as one of these fierce creatures. That such existed inthat district they already had evidence. Swartboy alleged that the onekilled by the rhinoceros was of this class, else he would not haveattacked the latter as he had done. There was a good deal ofprobability in this belief of the Bushman. 

Under these impressions, then, it is less to be wondered, that ourhunters felt some apprehensions of danger from the game they werepursuing. 

The spoor grew fresher and fresher. The hunters saw trees turned bottomupward, the roots exhibiting the marks of the elephant's teeth, andstill wet with the saliva from his vast mouth. They saw broken branchesof the mimosas giving out their odour, that had not had time to wasteitself. They concluded the game could not be distant. 

They rounded a point of timber--the Bushman being a little in theadvance. 

Suddenly Swartboy stopped and fell back a pace. He turned his face uponhis companions. His eyes rolled faster than ever; but, although hislips appeared to move, and his tongue to wag, he was too excited to giveutterance to a word. A volley of clicks and hisses came forth, butnothing articulate!

The others, however, did not require any words to tell them what wasmeant. They knew that Swartboy intended to whisper that he had seen "daoliphant;" so both peeped silently around the bush, and with their owneyes looked upon the mighty quadruped. 

CHAPTER TWENTY NINE. 

A ROGUE ELEPHANT. 

The elephant was standing in a grove of _mokhala_ trees. These, unlikethe humbler mimosas, have tall naked stems, with heads of thick foliage, in form resembling an umbrella or parasol. Their pinnate leaves ofdelicate green are the favourite food of the giraffe, hence theirbotanical appellation of _Acacia giraffae_; and hence also their commonname among the Dutch hunters of "cameel-doorns" (camel-thorns). 

The tall giraffe, with his prehensile lip, raised nearly twenty-feet inthe air, can browse upon these trees without difficulty. Not so theelephant, whose trunk cannot reach so high; and the latter would oftenhave to imitate the fox in the fable, were he not possessed of a meanswhereby he can bring the tempting morsel within reach--that is, simplyby breaking down the tree. This his vast strength enables him to do, unless when the trunk happens to be one of the largest of its kind. 

When the eyes of our hunters first rested upon the elephant, he wasstanding by the head of a prostrate mokhala, which he had just brokenoff near the root. He was tearing away at the leaves, and filling hiscapacious stomach. 

As soon as Swartboy recovered the control over his tongue, he ejaculatedin a hurried whisper:--

"Pas op! (take care!) baas Bloom, --hab good care--don't go near um--heda skellum ole klow. My footy! he wicked!--I know de ole bull duyvel. "

By this volley of queer phrases, Swartboy meant to caution his masteragainst rashly approaching the elephant, as he knew him to be one of thewicked sort--in short, a "rogue. "

How Swartboy knew this would appear a mystery, as there were noparticular marks about the animal to distinguish him from others of hiskind. But the Bushman, with his practised eye, saw something in thegeneral physiognomy of the elephant--just as one may distinguish afierce and dangerous bull from those of milder disposition, or a badfrom a virtuous man, by some expression that one cannot define. 

Von Bloom himself, and even Hendrik, saw that the elephant had a fierceand ruffian look. 

They did not stand in need of Swartboy's advice to act with caution. 

They remained for some minutes, gazing through the bushes at the hugequadruped. The more they gazed, the more they became resolved to makean attack upon him. The sight of his long tusks was too tempting to VonBloom, to admit for a moment the thought of letting him escape without afight. A couple of bullets he should have into him, at all events; andif opportunity offered, a good many more, should these not besufficient. Von Bloom would not relinquish those fine tusks without astruggle. 

He at once set about considering the safest mode of attack; but was notallowed time to mature any plan. The elephant appeared to be restless, and was evidently about to move forward. He might be off in a moment, and carry them after him for miles, or, perhaps, in the thick cover ofwait-a-bits get lost to them altogether. 

These conjectures caused Von Bloom to decide at once upon beginning theattack, and without any other plan than to stalk in as near as would besafe, and deliver his fire. He had heard that a single bullet in theforehead would kill any elephant; and if he could only get in such aposition as to have a fair shot at the animal's front, he believed hewas marksman enough to plant his bullet in the right place. 

He was mistaken as to killing an elephant with a shot in the forehead. That is a notion of gentlemen who have hunted the elephant in theirclosets, though other closet gentlemen the anatomists--to whom give alldue credit--have shown the thing to be impossible, from the peculiarstructure of the elephant's skull and the position of his brain. 

Von Bloom at the time was under this wrong impression, and thereforecommitted a grand mistake. Instead of seeking a side shot, which hecould have obtained with far less trouble--he decided on creeping roundin front of the elephant, and firing right in the animal's face. 

Leaving Hendrik and Swartboy to attack him from behind, he took acircuit under cover of the bushes; and at length arrived in the path theelephant was most likely to take. 

He had scarcely gained his position, when he saw the huge animal comingtowards him with silent and majestic tread; and although the elephantonly walked, half-a-dozen of his gigantic strides brought him close upto the ambushed hunter. As yet the creature uttered no cry; but as hemoved, Von Bloom could hear a rumbling gurgling sound, as of waterdashing to and fro in his capacious stomach!

Von Bloom had taken up his position behind the trunk of a large tree. The elephant had not yet seen him, and, perhaps, would have passed onwithout knowing that he was there, had the hunter permitted him. Thelatter even thought of such a thing, for although a man of courage, thesight of the great forest giant caused him for a moment to quail. 

But, again, the curving ivory gleamed in his eyes--again he rememberedthe object that had brought him into that situation; he thought of hisfallen fortunes--of his resolve to retrieve them--of his children'swelfare. 

These thoughts resolved him. His long roer was laid over a knot in thetrunk--its muzzle pointed at the forehead of the advancing elephant--hiseye gleamed through the sights--the loud detonation followed--and acloud of smoke for a moment hid everything from his view. 

He could hear a hoarse bellowing trumpet-like sound--he could hear thecrashing of branches and the gurgling of water; and, when the smokecleared away, to his chagrin he saw that the elephant was still upon hisfeet, and evidently not injured in the least!

The shot had struck the animal exactly where the hunter had aimed it;but, instead of inflicting a mortal wound, it had only excited thecreature to extreme rage. He was now charging about, striking the treeswith his tusks, tearing branches off, and tossing them aloft with histrunk--though all the while evidently in ignorance of what had tickledhim so impertinently upon the forehead!

Fortunately for Von Bloom, a good thick tree sheltered him from the viewof the elephant. Had the enraged animal caught sight of him at thatmoment, it would have been all up with him; but the hunter knew this, and had the coolness to remain close and quiet. 

Not so with Swartboy. When the elephant moved forward, he and Hendrikhad crept after through the grove of mokhalas. They had even followedhim across the open ground into the bush, where Von Bloom awaited him. On hearing the shot, and seeing that the elephant was still unhurt, Swartboy's courage gave way; and leaving Hendrik, he ran back towardsthe mokhala grove, shouting as he went. 

His cries reached the ears of the elephant, that at once rushed off inthe direction in which he heard them. In a moment he emerged from thebush, and, seeing Swartboy upon the open ground, charged furiously afterthe flying Bushman. Hendrik--who had stood his ground, and in theshelter of the bushes was not perceived--delivered his shot as theanimal passed him. His ball told upon the shoulder, but it only servedto increase the elephant's fury. Without stopping, he rushed on afterSwartboy, believing, no doubt, that the poor Bushman was the cause ofthe hurts he was receiving, and the nature of which he but illunderstood. 

It was but a few moments, from the firing of the first shot, untilthings took this turn. Swart boy was hardly clear of the bushes beforethe elephant emerged also; and as the former struck out for the mokhalatrees, he was scarce six steps ahead of his pursuer. 

Swartboy's object was to get to the grove, in the midst of which wereseveral trees of large size. One of these he proposed climbing--as thatseemed his only chance for safety. 

He had not got half over the open ground, when he perceived he would betoo late. He heard the heavy rush of the huge monster behind him--heheard his loud and vengeful bellowing--he fancied he felt his hotbreath. There was still a good distance to be run. The climbing of thetree, beyond the reach of the elephant's trunk, would occupy time. There was no hope of escaping to the tree. 

These reflections occurred almost instantaneously. In ten secondsSwartboy arrived at the conclusion, that running to the tree would notsave him; and all at once he stopped in his career, wheeled round, andfaced the elephant!

Not that he had formed any plan of saving himself in that way. It wasnot bravery, but only despair, that caused him to turn upon his pursuer. He knew that, by running on, he would surely be overtaken. It could beno worse if he faced round; and, perhaps, he might avoid the fatalcharge by some dexterous manoeuvre. 

The Bushman was now right in the middle of the open ground; the elephantrushing straight towards him. 

The former had no weapon to oppose to his gigantic pursuer. He hadthrown away his bow--his axe too--to run the more nimbly. But neitherwould have been of any avail against such an antagonist. He carriednothing but his sheep-skin kaross. That had encumbered him in hisflight; but he had held on to it for a purpose. 

His purpose was soon displayed. 

He stood until the extended trunk was within three feet of his face; andthen, flinging his kaross so that it should fall over the long cylinder, he sprang nimbly to one side, and started to run back. 

He would, no doubt, have succeeded in passing to the elephant's rear, and thus have escaped; but as the kaross fell upon the great trunk itwas seized in the latter, and swept suddenly around. UnfortunatelySwartboy's legs had not yet cleared the circle--the kaross lapped aroundthem--and the Bushman was thrown sprawling upon the plain. 

In a moment the active Swartboy recovered his feet, and was about tomake off in a new direction. But the elephant, having discovered thedeception of the kaross, had dropped it, and turned suddenly after him. Swartboy had hardly made three steps, when the long ivory curve wasinserted between his legs from behind; and the next moment his body waspitched high into the air. 

Von Bloom and Hendrik, who had just then reached the edge of the glade, saw him go up; but to their astonishment he did not come to the groundagain! Had he fallen back upon the elephant's tusks? and was he heldthere by the trunk? No. They saw the animal's head. The Bushman wasnot there, nor upon his back, nor anywhere to be seen. In fact, theelephant seemed as much astonished as they at the sudden disappearanceof his victim! The huge beast was turning his eyes in every direction, as if searching for the object of his fury!

Where could Swartboy have gone? Where? At this moment the elephantuttered a loud roar, and was seen rushing to a tree, which he now caughtin his trunk, and shook violently. Von Bloom and Hendrik looked uptowards its top, expecting to see Swartboy there. 

Sure enough he was there, perched among the leaves and branches where hehad been projected! Terror was depicted in his countenance, for he feltthat he was not safe in his position. But he had scarce time to giveutterance to his fears; for the next moment the tree gave way with acrash, and fell to the ground, bringing the Bushman down among itsbranches. 

It happened that the tree, dragged down by the elephant's trunk, felltowards the animal. Swartboy even touched the elephant's body in hisdescent, and slipped down over his hind-quarters. The branches hadbroken the fall, and the Bushman was still unhurt, but he felt that hewas now quite at the mercy of his antagonist. He saw no chance ofescape by flight. He was lost!

Just at that moment an idea entered his mind--a sort of despairinginstinct--and springing at one of the hind-legs of the quadruped, heslung his arms around it, and held fast! He at the same time plantedhis naked feet upon the sabots of those of the animal: so that, by meansof this support, he was enabled to keep his hold, let the animal move asit would!

The huge mammoth, unable to shake him off, unable to get at him with histrunk--and, above all, surprised and terrified by this novel mode ofattack--uttered a shrill scream, and with tail erect and trunk high inair, dashed off into the jungle!

Swartboy held on to the leg until fairly within the bushes; and then, watching his opportunity, he slipped gently off. As soon as he touched_terra firma_ again, he rose to his feet, and ran with all his might inan opposite direction. 

He need not have run a single step; for the elephant, as much frightenedas he, kept on through the jungle, laying waste the trees and branchesin his onward course. The huge quadruped did not stop, till he had putmany miles between himself and the scene of his disagreeable adventure!

Von Bloom and Hendrik had by this time reloaded, and were advancing toSwartboy's rescue; but they were met right in the teeth by theswift-flying Bushman, as he returned from his miraculous escape. 

The hunters, who were now warmed to their work, proposed to follow upthe spoor; but Swartboy, who had had enough of that "old rogue, "declared that there would be not the slightest chance of again coming upwith him without horses or dogs; and as they had neither, spooring himany farther would be quite useless. 

Von Bloom saw that there was truth in the remark, and now more than everdid he regret the loss of his horses. The elephant, though easilyovertaken on horseback, or with dogs to bring him to bay, can as easilyescape from a hunter on foot; and once he has made up his mind toflight, it is quite a lost labour to follow him farther. 

It was now too late in the day to seek for other elephants; and with afeeling of disappointment, the hunters gave up the chase, and turnedtheir steps in the direction of the camp. 

CHAPTER THIRTY. 

THE MISSING HUNTER, AND THE WILDEBEESTS. 

A well-known proverb says that "misfortunes seldom come single. "

On nearing the camp, the hunters could perceive that all was not rightthere. They saw Totty with Truey and Jan standing by the head of theladder; but there was something in their manner that told that all wasnot right. Where was Hans?

As soon as the hunters came in sight, Jan and Truey ran down the rounds, and out to meet them. There was that in their glances that bespoke illtidings, and their words soon confirmed this conjecture. 

Hans was not there--he had gone away hours ago--they knew not where, they feared something had happened to him, --they feared he was lost!

"But what took him away from the camp?" asked Von Bloom, surprised andtroubled at the news. 

That, and only that, could they answer. A number of odd-lookinganimals--very odd-looking, the children said, --had come to the vley todrink. Hans had taken his gun and followed them in a great hurry, telling Truey and Jan to keep in the tree, and not come down until hereturned. He would be gone only a very little while, and they needn'tfear. 

This was all they knew. They could not even tell what direction he hadtaken. He went by the lower end of the vley; but soon the bushes hidhim from their view, and they saw no more of him. 

"At what time was it?"

It was many hours ago, --in the morning in fact, --not long after thehunters themselves had started. When he did not return the childrengrew uneasy; but they thought he had fallen in with papa and Hendrik, and was helping them to hunt; and that was the reason why he stayed solong. 

"Had they heard any report of a gun?" No--they had listened for that, but heard none. The animals had gone away before Hans could get his gunready; and they supposed he had to follow some distance before he couldovertake them--that might be the reason they had heard no shot. 

"What sort of animals were they?" They had all seen them plain enough, as they drank. They had never seen any of the kind before. They werelarge animals of a yellow brown colour, with shaggy manes, and longtufts of hair growing out of their breasts, and hanging down betweentheir fore-legs. They were as big as ponies, said Jan, and very likeponies. They curvetted and capered about just as ponies do sometimes. Truey thought that they looked more like lions!

"Lions!" ejaculated her father and Hendrik, with an accent thatbetokened alarm. 

Indeed, they reminded her of lions, Truey again affirmed, and Totty saidthe same. "How many were there of them?"

"Oh! a great drove, not less than fifty. " They could not have countedthem, as they were constantly in motion, galloping from place to place, and butting each other with their horns. 

"Ha! they had horns then?" interrogated Von Bloom, relieved by thisannouncement. 

Certainly they had horns, replied all three. 

They had seen the horns, sharp-pointed ones, which first came down, andthen turned upwards in front of the animals' faces. They had manes too, Jan affirmed; and thick necks that curved like that of a beautifulhorse; and tufts of hair like brushes upon their noses; and nice roundbodies like ponies, and long white tails that reached near the ground, just like the tails of ponies, and finely-shaped limbs as ponies have. 

"I tell you, " continued Jan, with emphasis, "if it hadn't been for theirhorns and the brushes of long hair upon their breasts and noses, I'dhave taken them for ponies before anything. They galloped about justlike ponies when playing, and ran with their heads down, curving theirnecks and tossing their manes, --ay, and snorting too, as I've heardponies; but sometimes they bellowed more like bulls; and, I confess, they looked a good deal like bulls about the head; besides I noticedthey had hoofs split like cattle. Oh! I had a good look at them whileHans was loading his gun. They stayed by the water till he was nearlyready; and when they galloped off, they went in a long string one behindthe other with the largest one in front, and another large one in therear. "

"Wildebeests!" exclaimed Hendrik. 

"Gnoos!" cried Swartboy. 

"Yes, they must have been wildebeests, " said Von Bloom; "Jan'sdescription corresponds exactly to them. "

This was quite true. Jan had correctly given many of the characteristicpoints of that, perhaps, the most singular of all ruminant animals, thewildebeest or gnoo (_Catoblepas gnoo_). The brushlike tuft over themuzzle, the long hair between the fore-legs, the horns curving down overthe face, and then sweeping abruptly upward, the thick curving neck, therounded, compact, horse-shaped body, the long whitish tail, and fullflowing mane--all were descriptive of the gnoo. 

Even Truey had not made such an unpardonable mistake. The gnoos, andparticularly the old bulls, bear a very striking resemblance to thelion, so much so that the sharpest hunters at a distance can scarce tellone from the other. 

Jan, however, had observed them better than Truey; and had they beennearer, he might have further noticed that the creatures had red fieryeyes and a fierce look; that their heads and horns were not unlike thoseof the African buffalo; that their limbs resembled those of the stag, while the rest corresponded well enough to his "pony. " He might haveobserved, moreover, that the males were larger than the females, and ofa deeper brown. Had there been any "calves" with the herd, he wouldhave seen that these were still lighter-coloured--in fact, of a white orcream colour. 

The gnoos that had been seen were the common kind called by the Dutchcolonists "wildebeests" or wild-oxen, and by the Hottentots "gnoo" or"gnu, " from a hollow moaning sound to which these creatures sometimesgive utterance, and which is represented by the word "gnoo-o-oo. "

They roam in vast flocks upon the wild karoos of South Africa; areinoffensive animals, except when wounded; and then the old bulls areexceedingly dangerous, and will attack the hunter both with horns andhoot. They can run with great swiftness, though they scarce ever goclear off, but, keeping at a wary distance, circle around the hunter, curvetting in all directions, menacing with their heads lowered to theground, kicking up the dust with their heels, and bellowing like bulls, or indeed like lions--for their "rout" bears a resemblance to the lion'sroar. 

The old bulls stand sentry while the herd is feeding, and protect itboth in front and rear. When running off they usually go in singlefile, as Jan had represented. 

Old bulls hang between the rear of the herd and the hunter; and thesecaper back and forward, butting each other with their horns, and oftenfighting apparently in serious earnest! Before the hunter comes withinrange, however, they drop their conflict and gallop out of his way. Nothing can exceed the capricious antics which these animals indulge in, while trooping over the plain. 

There is a second species of the same genus common in South Africa, anda third inhabits still farther to the north; but of the last very littleis known. Both species are larger than the wildebeest, individuals ofeither being nearly five feet in height, while the common gnoo is scarcefour. 

The three kinds are quite distinct, and never herd together, though eachof them is often found in company with other animals. All three arepeculiar to the continent of Africa, and are not found elsewhere. 

The "brindled gnoo" (_Catoblepas gorgon_) is the other species thatinhabits the South of Africa. It is known among the hunters andcolonists as "blauw wildebeest" (blue wild-ox). It is of a bluishcolour--hence the name, and "brindled, " or striped along the sides. Itshabits are very similar to those of the common gnoo, but it isaltogether a heavier and duller animal, and still more eccentric andungainly in its form. 

The third species (_Catoblepas taurina_) is the "ko-koon" of thenatives. It approaches nearer to the brindled gnoo in form and habits;but as it is not found except in the more central and less-travelledportions of Africa, less is known about it than either of the others. It is, however, of the same kind; and the three species, differingwidely from any other animals known, are entitled to form a distinct andseparate genus. 

They have hitherto generally been classed with the antelopes, though forwhat reason it is hard to tell. They have far less affinity with theantelope than with the ox; and the everyday observations of the hunterand frontier boor have guided them to a similar conclusion--as theirname for these animals (wild-oxen) would imply. Observation of thisclass is usually worth far more than the "speculations" of thecloset-naturalist. 

The gnoo has long been the favourite food of the frontier farmer andhunter. Its beef is well flavoured, and the veal of a gnoo-calf isquite a delicacy. The hide is manufactured into harness and straps ofdifferent sorts; and the long silky tail is an article of commerce. Around every frontier farm-house large piles of gnoo and springbok hornsmay be seen--the remains of animals that have been captured in thechase. 

"Jaging de wildebeest" (hunting the gnoo) is a favourite pastime of theyoung boors. Large herds of these animals are sometimes driven intovalleys, where they are hemmed in, and shot down at will. They can alsobe lured within range, by exhibiting a red handkerchief or any piece ofred cloth--to which colour they have a strong aversion. They may betamed and domesticated easily enough; but they are not favourite petswith the farmer, who dreads their communicating to his cattle a fatalskin-disease to which the gnoos are subject, and which carries offthousands of them every year. 

Of course Von Bloom and his companions did not stay to talk over thesepoints. They were too anxious about the fate of the missing Hans, tothink of anything else. 

They were about to start out in search of him, when just at that momentmy gentleman was seen coming around the end of the lake, trudging veryslowly along, under the weight of some large and heavy object, that hecarried upon his shoulders. 

A shout of joy was raised, and in a few moments Hans stood in theirmidst. 

CHAPTER THIRTY ONE. 

THE ANT-EATER OF AFRICA. 

Hans was saluted by a volley of questions, "Where have you been? Whatdetained you? What has happened to you? You're all safe and sound?Not hurt, I hope?" These and a few others were asked in a breath. 

"I'm sound as a bell, " said Hans; "and for the rest of your inquiriesI'll answer them all as soon as Swartboy has skinned this `aard-vark, 'and Totty has cooked a piece of it for supper; but I'm too hungry totalk now, so pray excuse me. "

As Hans gave this reply, he cast from his shoulders an animal nearly asbig as a sheep, covered with long bristly hair of a reddish-grey colour, and having a huge tail, thick at the root, and tapering like a carrot; asnout nearly a foot long, but quite slender and naked; a very smallmouth; erect pointed ears resembling a pair of horns; a low flattishbody; short muscular legs; and claws of immense length, especially onthe fore-feet, where, instead of spreading out, they were doubled backlike shut fists, or the fore hands of a monkey. Altogether a very oddanimal was that which Hans had styled an "aard-vark, " and which hedesired should be cooked for supper. 

"Well, my boy, " replied Von Bloom, "we'll excuse you, the more so thatwe are all of us about as hungry as yourself, I fancy. But I think wemay as well leave the `aard-vark' for to-morrow's dinner. We've acouple of peacocks here, and Totty will get one of them ready soonerthan the aard-vark. "

"As for that, " rejoined Hans, "I don't care which. I'm just in thecondition to eat anything--even a steak of tough old quagga, if I hadit; but I think it would be no harm if Swartboy--that is, if you're nottoo tired, old Swart--would just peel the skin off this gentleman. "

Hans pointed to the "aard-vark. " "And dress him so that he don'tspoil, " he continued; "for _you_ know, Swartboy, that he's a tit-bit--aregular _bonne bouche_--and it would be a pity to let him go to waste inthis hot weather. An aard-vark's not to be bagged every day. "

"You spreichen true, Mynheer Hans, --Swartboy know all dat. Him skin an'dress da goup. "

And, so saying, Swartboy out knife, and set to work upon the carcass. 

Now this singular-looking animal which Hans called an "aard-vark, " andSwartboy a "goup, " was neither more nor less than the African ant-eater(_Orycteropus Capensis_). 

Although the colonists term it "aard-vark, " which is the Dutch for"ground-hog, " the animal has but little in common with the hog kind. Itcertainly bears some resemblance to a pig about the snout and cheeks;and that, with its bristly hair and burrowing habits, has no doubt givenrise to the mistaken name. The "ground" part of the title is from thefact that it is a burrowing animal, --indeed, one of the best "terriers"in the world. It can make its way under ground faster than the spadecan follow it, and faster than any badger. In size, habits, and theform of many parts of its body, it bears a striking resemblance to itsSouth American cousin the "tamanoir" (_Myrmecophaga jubata_), which oflate years has become so famous as almost to usurp the title of"ant-eater. " But the "aard-vark" is just as good an ant-eater as he, --can "crack" as thick-walled a house, can rake up and devour as manytermites as any "ant-bear" in the length and breadth of the AmazonValley. He has got, moreover, as "tall" a tail as the tamanoir, verynearly as long a snout, a mouth equally small, and a tongue as extensiveand extensile. In claws he can compare with his American cousin anyday, and can walk just as awkwardly upon the sides of his fore-paws with"toes turned in. " Why, then, may I ask, do we hear so much talk of the"tamanoir, " while not a word is said of the "aard-vark?" Every museumand menagerie is bragging about having a specimen of the former, whilenot one cares to acknowledge their possession of the latter! Why thisenvious distinction? I say it's all Barnum. It's because the"aard-vark" is a Dutchman--a Cape boor--and the boors have been muchbullied of late. That's the reason why zoologists and showmen havetreated my thick-tailed boy so shabbily. But it shan't be so anylonger; I stand up for the aard-vark; and, although the tamanoir hasbeen specially called _Myrmecophaga_, or ant-eater, I say that the_Orycteropus_ is as good an ant-eater as he. He can break throughant-hills quite as big and bigger--some of them twenty-feet high--he canproject as long and as gluey a tongue--twenty inches long--he can playit as nimbly and "lick up" as many white ants, as any tamanoir. He cangrow as fat too, and weigh as heavy, and, what is greatly to his credit, he can provide you with a most delicate roast when you choose to killand eat him. It is true he tastes slightly of formic acid, but that isjust the flavour that epicures admire. And when you come to speak of"hams, "--ah! try _his_! Cure them well and properly, and eat one, andyou will never again talk of "Spanish" or "Westphalian. "

Hans knew the taste of those hams--well he did, and so too Swartboy; andit was not against his inclination, but _con amore_, that the latter setabout butchering the "goup. " Swartboy knew how precious a morsel heheld between his fingers, --precious, not only on account of itsintrinsic goodness, but from its rarity; for although the aard-vark is acommon animal in South Africa, and in some districts even numerous, itis not every day the hunter can lay his hands upon one. On thecontrary, the creature is most difficult to capture; though not to kill, for a blow on the snout will do that. 

But just as he is easily killed when you catch him, in the sameproportion is he hard to catch. He is shy and wary, scarce ever comesout of his burrow but at night; and even then skulks so silently along, and watches around him so sharply, that no enemy can approach withouthis knowing it. His eyes are very small, and, like most nocturnalanimals, he sees but indifferently; but in the two senses of smell andhearing he is one of the sharpest. His long erect ears enable him tocatch every sound that may be made in his neighbourhood, however slight. 

The "aard-vark" is not the only ant-eating quadruped of South Africa. There is another four-footed creature as fond of white ants as he; butthis is an animal of very different appearance. It is a creaturewithout hair; but, instead its body is covered all over with a regularcoat of scales, each as large as a half-crown piece. These scalesslightly overlie each other, and can be raised on end at the will of theanimal. In form it resembles a large lizard, or a small crocodile, morethan an ordinary quadruped, but its habits are almost exactly like thoseof the aard-vark. It burrows, digs open the ant-hills by night, projects a long viscous tongue among the insects, and devours them withavidity. 

When suddenly overtaken, and out of reach of its underground retreat, it"clews" up like the hedgehog, and some species of the South Americanarmadillos--to which last animal it bears a considerable resemblance onaccount of its scaly coat of mail. 

This ant-eater is known as the "pangolin, " or "manis, " but there areseveral species of "pangolin" not African. Some are met with inSouthern Asia and the Indian islands. That which is found in SouthAfrica is known among naturalists as the "long-tailed" or "Temminck"pangolin (_Manis Temminckii_). 

Totty soon produced a roasted "peacock, " or rather a hastily-broiledbustard. But, although, perhaps, not cooked "to a turn, " it wassufficiently well done to satisfy the stomachs for which it wasintended. They were all too hungry to be fastidious, and, without aword of criticism, they got through their dinner. 

Hans then commenced relating the history of his day's adventure. 

CHAPTER THIRTY TWO. 

HANS CHASED BY THE WILDEBEEST. 

"Well, " began Hans, "you had not been gone more than an hour, when aherd of wildebeests was seen approaching the vley. They came on insingle file; but they had broken rank, and were splashing about in thewater, before I thought of molesting them in any way. 

"Of course I knew what they were, and that they were proper game; but Iwas so interested in watching their ludicrous gambols, that I did notthink about my gun, until the whole herd had nearly finished drinking. Then I remembered that we were living on dry biltongue, and would benothing the worse of a change. I noticed, moreover, that in the herd ofgnoos there were some young ones--which I was able to tell from theirbeing smaller than the rest, and also by their lighter colour. I knewthat the flesh of these is most excellent eating, and therefore made upmy mind we should all dine upon it. 

"I rushed up the ladder for my gun; and then discovered how imprudent Ihad been in not loading it at the time you all went away. I had notthought of any sudden emergency, --but that was very foolish, for howknew I what might happen in a single hour or minute even?

"I loaded the piece in a grand hurry, for I saw the wildebeests leavingthe water; and, as soon as the bullet was rammed home, I ran down theladder. Before I had reached the bottom, I saw that I had forgotten tobring either powder-horn or pouch. I was in too hot a haste to go backfor them, for I saw the last of the wildebeests moving off, and Ifancied I might be too late. But I had no intention of going any greatdistance in pursuit. A single shot at them was all I wanted, and thatin the gun would do. 

"I hastened after the game, keeping as well as I could under cover. Ifound, after a little time, that I need not have been so cautious. Thewildebeests, instead of being shy--as I had seen them in our oldneighbourhood--appeared to have very little fear of me. This wasespecially the case with the old bulls, who capered and careered aboutwithin an hundred yards' distance, and sometimes permitted me toapproach even nearer. It was plain they had never been hunted. 

"Once or twice I was within range of a pair of old bulls, who seemed toact as a rearguard. But I did not want to shoot one of them. I knewtheir flesh would turn out tough. I wished to get something moretender. I wished to send a bullet into a heifer, or one of the youngbulls whose horns had not yet begun to curve. Of these I saw several inthe herd. 

"Tame as the animals were, I could not manage to get near enough to anyof these. The old bulls at the head always led them beyond my range;and the two, that brought up the rear, seemed to drive them forward as Iadvanced upon them. 

"Well, in this way they beguiled me along for more than a mile; and theexcitement of the chase made me quite forget how wrong it was of me togo so far from the camp. But thinking about the meat, and still hopefulof getting a shot, I kept on. 

"At length the hunt led me into ground where there was no longer anybush; but there was good cover, notwithstanding, in the ant-hills, that, like great tents, stood at equal distances from each other scatteredover the plain. These were very large--some of them more than twelvefeet high--and differing from the dome-shaped kind so common everywhere. They were of the shape of large cones, or rounded pyramids, with anumber of smaller cones rising around their bases, and clustering liketurrets along their sides. I knew they were the hills of a species ofwhite ant called by entomologists _Termes bellicosus_. 

"There were other hills, of cylinder shape and rounded tops, that stoodonly about a yard high; looking like rolls of unbleached linen setupright--each with an inverted basin upon its end. These were the homesof a very different species, the _Termes mordax_ of the entomologists;though still another species of _Termes_ (_Termes atrox_) build theirnests in the same form. 

"I did not stop then to examine these curious structures. I only speakof them now, to give you an idea of the sort of place it was, so thatyou may understand what followed. 

"What with the cone-shaped hills and the cylinders, the plain was prettywell covered. One or the other was met with every two hundred yards;and I fancied with these for a shelter I should have but littledifficulty in getting within shot of the gnoos. 

"I made a circuit to head them, and crept up behind a large cone-shapedhill, near which the thick of the drove was feeding. When I peepedthrough the turrets, to my chagrin, I saw that the cows and younger oneshad been drawn off beyond reach, and the two old bulls were, as before, capering between me and the herd. 

"I repeated the manoeuvre, and stalked in behind another large cone, close to which the beasts were feeding. When I raised myself for ashot, I was again disappointed. The herd had moved off as before, andthe brace of bulls still kept guard in the rear. 

"I began to feel provoked. The conduct of the bulls annoyed meexceedingly, and I really fancied that they knew it. Their manoeuvreswere of the oddest kind, and some of them appeared to be made for thepurpose of mocking me. At times they would charge up very close--theirheads set in a menacing attitude; and I must confess that with theirblack shaggy fronts, their sharp horns, and glaring red eyes, theylooked anything but pleasant neighbours. 

"I got so provoked with them at last, that I resolved they should botherme no longer. If they would not permit me to shoot one of the others, Iwas determined they themselves should not escape scot-free, but shouldpay dearly for their temerity and insolence. I resolved to put a bulletthrough one of them, at least. 

"Just as I was about raising my gun to fire, I perceived that they hadplaced themselves in attitude for a new fight. This they did bydropping on their knees, and sliding forward until their heads came incontact. They would then spring up, make a sudden bound forward, as ifto get uppermost, and trample one another with their hoofs. Failing inthis, both would rush past, until they were several yards apart; thenwheel round, drop once more to their knees; and advance as before. 

"Hitherto I had looked upon these conflicts as merely playful; and so Ifancy most of them were. But this time the bulls seemed to be inearnest. The loud cracking of their helmet-covered foreheads againsteach other, their fierce snorting and bellowing, and, above all, theirangry manner, convinced me that they had really quarrelled, and wereserious about it. 

"One of them, at length, seemed to be getting knocked over repeatedly. Every time he had partially risen to his feet, and before he could quiterecover them, his antagonist rushed upon him, and butted him back uponhis side. 

"Seeing them so earnestly engaged, I thought I might as well make a sureshot of it, by going a little nearer; so I stepped from behind theant-hill, and walked towards the combatants. Neither took any notice ofmy approach--the one because he had enough to do to guard himself fromthe terrible blows, and the other because he was so occupied indelivering them. 

"When within twenty paces I levelled my gun. I chose the bull whoappeared victor, partly as a punishment for his want of feeling instriking a fallen antagonist, but, perhaps, more because his broadsidewas towards me, and presented a fairer mark. 

"I fired. 

"The smoke hid both for a moment. When it cleared off, I saw the bullthat had been conquered still down in a kneeling attitude, but, to mygreat surprise, the one at which I had aimed was upon his feet, apparently as brisk and sound as ever! I knew I had hit him somewhere--as I heard the `thud' of the bullet on his fat body--but it was plain Ihad not crippled him. 

"I was not allowed time for reflection as to where I had wounded him. Not an instant indeed, for the moment the smoke cleared away, instead ofthe bulls clearing off also, I saw the one I had shot at fling up histail, lower his shaggy front, and charge right towards me!

"His fierce eyes glanced with a revengeful look, and his roar was enoughto have terrified one more courageous than I. I assure you I was lessfrightened the other day when I encountered the lion. 

"I did not know what to do for some moments. I thought of settingmyself in an attitude of defence, and involuntarily had turned my gunwhich was now empty--intending to use it as a club. But I saw at once, that the slight blow I could deliver would not stop the onset of such astrong fierce animal, and that he would butt me over, and gore me, to acertainty. 

"I turned my eyes to see what hope there lay in flight. Fortunatelythey fell upon an ant-hill--the one I had just emerged from. I saw at aglance, that by climbing it I would be out of reach of the fiercewildebeest. Would I have time to get to it before he could overtake me?

"I ran like a frightened fox. You, Hendrik, can beat me running uponordinary occasions. I don't think you could have got quicker to thatant-hill than I did. 

"I was not a second too soon. As I clutched at the little turrets, anddrew myself up, I could hear the rattle of the wildebeest's hoofs behindme, and I fancied I felt his hot breath upon my heels. 

"But I reached the top cone in safety; and then turned and looked downat my pursuer. I saw that he could not follow me any farther. Sharp ashis horns were, I saw that I was safe out of their reach. "

CHAPTER THIRTY THREE. 

BESIEGED BY THE BULL. 

"Well, " continued Hans, after a pause, "I began to congratulate myselfon my fortunate escape; for I was convinced that but for the ant-hill Iwould have been trampled and gored to death. The bull was one of thelargest and fiercest of his kind, and a _very_ old one too, as I couldtell by the bases of his thick black horns nearly meeting over hisforehead, as well as by his dark colour. I had plenty of time to notethese things. I felt that I was now safe--that the wildebeest could notget near me; and I sat perched upon the top of the central cone, watching his movements with perfect coolness. 

"It is true he did everything to reach my position. A dozen times hecharged up the hill, and more than once effected a lodgment among thetops of the lower turrets, but the main one was too steep for him. Nowonder! It, had tried my own powers to scale it. 

"At times he came so close to me in his desperate efforts, that I couldhave touched his horns with the muzzle of my gun; and I had prepared togive him a blow whenever I could get a good chance. I never saw acreature behave so fiercely. The fact was, that I had hit him with mybullet, --the wound was there along his jaw, and bleeding freely. Thepain of it maddened him; but that was not the only cause of his fury, asI afterwards discovered. 

"Well. After several unsuccessful attempts to scale the cone, he variedhis tactics, and commenced butting the ant-heap as though he would bringit down. He repeatedly backed, and then charged forward upon it withall his might; and, to say the truth, it looked for some time as thoughhe would succeed. 

"Several of the lesser cones were knocked over by his powerful blows;and the hard tough clay yielded before his sharp horns, used by him asinverted pickaxes. In several places I could see that he had laid openthe chambers of the insects, or rather the ways and galleries that areplaced in the outer crust of the hill. 

"With all this I felt no fear. I was under the belief that he wouldsoon exhaust his rage and go away; and then I could descend withoutdanger. But after watching him a good long spell, I was not a littleastonished to observe that, instead of cooling down, he seemed to growmore furious than ever. I had taken out my handkerchief to wipe theperspiration off my face. It was as hot as an oven where I sat. Not abreath of air was stirring, and the rays of the sun, glaring right downand then reflecting up again from the white clay, brought theperspiration out of me in streams. Every minute I was obliged to rub myeyes clear of it with the handkerchief. 

"Now, before passing the kerchief over my face, I always shook it open;and each time I did so, I noticed that the rage of the wildebeest seemedto be redoubled! In fact, at such times he would leave off goring theheap, and make a fresh attempt to rush up at me, roaring his loudest ashe charged against the steep wall!

"I was puzzled at this, as well as astonished. What could there be inmy wiping my face to provoke the wildebeest anew? And yet such wasclearly the case. Every time I did so, he appeared to swell with afresh burst of passion!

"The explanation came at length. I saw that it was not the wiping offthe perspiration that provoked him. It was the shaking out of myhandkerchief. This was, as you know, of a bright scarlet colour. Ithought of this, and then, for the first time, remembered having heardthat anything scarlet has a most powerful effect upon the wildebeest, and excites him to a rage resembling madness. 

"I did not wish to keep up his fury. I crumpled up the handkerchief andburied it in my pocket--preferring to endure the perspiration ratherthan remain there any longer. By hiding the scarlet, I conceived a hopehe would the sooner cool down, and go away. 

"But I had raised a devil in him too fierce to be so easily laid. Heshowed no signs of cooling down. On the contrary, he continued tocharge, butt, and bellow, as vengefully as ever--though the scarlet wasno longer before his eyes. 

"I began to feel really annoyed. I had no idea the gnoo was soimplacable in his rage. The bull evidently felt pain from his wound. Icould perceive that he moaned it. He knew well enough it was I who hadgiven him this pain. 

"He appeared determined not to let me escape retribution. He showed nosigns of an intention to leave the place; but laboured away with hoofand horns, as if he would demolish the mound. 

"I was growing very tired of my situation Though not afraid that thebull could reach me, I was troubled by the thought of being so longabsent from our camp. I knew I should have been there. I thought of mylittle sister and brother. Some misfortune might befall them. I wasvery sad about that, though up to that time I had little or no fears formyself. I was still in hopes the wildebeest would tire out and leaveme, and then I could soon run home. 

"I say, up to that time I had no very serious fears for myself--excepting the moment or two when the bull was chasing me to the hill;but that little fright was soon over. 

"But now appeared a new object of dread--another enemy, as terrible asthe enraged bull--that almost caused me to sprint down upon the horns ofthe latter in my first moments of alarm!

"I have said that the wildebeest had broken down several of the lesserturrets--the outworks of the ant-hill--and had laid open the hollowspaces within. He had not penetrated to the main dome, but only thewinding galleries and passages that perforate the outer walls. 

"I noticed, that, as soon as these were broken open, a number of antshad rushed out from each. Indeed, I had observed many of the creaturescrawling outside the hill, when I first approached it, and had wonderedat this--as I knew that they usually keep under ground when going andcoming from their nests. I had observed all this, without taking noteof it at the time--being too intent in my stalk to think of anythingelse. For the last half-hour I was too busy watching the manoeuvres ofthe wildebeest bull, to take my gaze off him for a moment. 

"Something in motion directly under me at length caught my eye, and Ilooked down to see what it was. The first glance caused me to jump tomy feet; and, as I have already said, very nearly impelled me to leapdown upon the horns of the bull!

"Swarming all over the hill, already clustering upon my shoes, andcrawling still higher, were the crowds of angry ants. Every hole thatthe bull had made was yielding out its throng of spiteful insects; andall appeared moving towards _me_!

"Small as the creatures were, I fancied I saw design in their movements. They seemed all actuated with the same feeling--the same impulse--thatof attacking me. I could not be mistaken in their intent. They movedall together, as if guided and led by intelligent beings; and theyadvanced towards the spot on which I stood. 

"I saw, too, that they were the _soldiers_. I knew these from theworkers, by their larger heads and long horny mandibles. I knew theycould bite fiercely and painfully. 

"The thought filled me with horror. I confess it, I never was sohorrified before. My late encounter with the lion was nothing tocompare with it. 

"My first impression was that I would be destroyed by the termites. Ihad heard of such things--I remembered that I had. It was that, nodoubt, that frightened me so badly. I had heard of men in their sleepbeing attacked by the white ants, and bitten to death. Such memoriescame crowding upon me at the moment, until I felt certain, that if I didnot soon escape from that spot, the ants would _sting me to death andeat me up_!"

CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR. 

A HELPLESS BEAST. 

"What was to be done? How was I to avoid both enemies? If I leapeddown, the wildebeest would kill me to a certainty. He was still there, with his fierce eye bent upon me continually. If I remained where Iwas, I would soon be covered with the swarming hideous insects, andeaten up like an old rag. 

"Already I felt their terrible teeth. Those that had first crawled tomy feet I had endeavoured to brush off; but some had got upon my ankles, and were biting me through my thick woollen socks! My clothes would beno protection. 

"I had mounted to the highest part of the cone, and was standing uponits apex. It was so sharp I could scarcely balance myself, but thepainful stings of the insects caused me to dance upon it like amountebank. 

"But what signified those, that had already stung my ankles, to thenumbers that were likely soon to pierce me with their venomous darts?Already these were swarming up the last terrace. They would soon coverthe apex of the cone upon which I was standing. They would crawl up mylimbs in myriads--they would--

"I could reflect no longer on what they would do. I preferred taking mychance with the wildebeest. I would leap down. Perhaps some luckyaccident might aid me. I would battle with the gnoo, using my gun. Perhaps I might succeed in escaping to some other hill. Perhaps--

"I was actually on the spring to leap down, when a new thought came intomy mind; and I wondered I had been so silly as not to think of itbefore. What was to hinder me from keeping off the termites? They hadno wings--the soldiers have none--nor the workers neither, for thatmatter. They could not fly upon me. They could only crawl up the cone. With my jacket I could brush them back. Certainly I could--why did Inot think of it before?

"I was not long in taking off my jacket. I laid aside my useless gun, dropping it upon one of the lower terraces. I caught the jacket by thecollar; and, using it as a duster, I cleared the sides of the cone in afew moments, having sent thousands of the termites tumbling headlongbelow. 

"Pshaw! how simply the thing was done! why had I not done it before? Itcost scarcely an effort to brush the myriads away, and a slight effortwould keep them off as long as I pleased. 

"The only annoyance I felt now was from the few that had got under mytrousers, and that still continued to bite me; but these I would get ridof in time. 

"Well--I remained on the apex, now bending down to beat back thesoldiers that still swarmed upward, and then occupying myself in tryingto get rid of the few that crawled upon me. I felt no longer anyuneasiness on the score of the insects--though I was not a bit betteroff as regarded the bull, who still kept guard below. I fancied, however, that he now showed symptoms of weariness, and would soon raisethe siege; and this prospect made me feel more cheerful. 

"A sudden change came over me. A new thrill of terror awaited me. 

"While jumping about upon the top of the cone, my footing suddenly gaveway--the baked clay broke with a dead crash, and I sank through theroof. My feet shot down into the hollow dome--till I thought I musthave crushed the great queen in her chamber--and I stood buried to theneck. 

"I was surprised, and a little terrified, not by the shock I hadexperienced in the sudden descent. That was natural enough, and a fewmoments would have restored my equanimity; but it was something elsethat frightened me. It was something that moved under my feet as theytouched bottom, --something that moved and heaved under them, and thenpassed quickly away, letting me still farther down!

"What could it be? Was it the great swarm of living ants that I pressedupon: I did not think it was. It did not _feel like them_. It seemedto be something bulky and strong, for it held up my whole weight for amoment or two, before it slipped from under me. 

"Whatever it was, it frightened me very considerably; and I did notleave my feet in its company for five seconds time. No: the hottestfurnace would scarce have scorched them during the time they remainedinside the dark dome. In five seconds they were on the walls again--onthe broken edges, where I had mounted up, and where I now stood quitespeechless with surprise!

"What next? I could keep the ants off no longer. I gazed down the darkcavity; they were swarming up that way in thick crowds. I could brushthem down no more. 

"My eyes at this moment chanced to wander to the bull. He was standingat three or four paces distance from the base of the hill. He wasstanding sideways with his head turned to it, and regarding it with awild look. His attitude was entirely changed, and so, I thought, wasthe expression of his eye. He looked as if he had just run off to hisnew position, and was ready to make a second start. He looked as ifsomething had also terrified _him_!

"Something evidently had; for, in another moment, he uttered a sharprout, galloped several paces farther out, wheeled again, halted, andstood gazing as before!

"What could it mean? Was it the breaking through of the roof and mysudden descent that had frightened him?

"At first I thought so, but I observed that he did not look upward tothe top. His gaze seemed bent on some object near the base of thehill--though from where I stood I could see nothing there to frightenhim. 

"I had not time to reflect what it could be, before the bull uttered afresh snort; and, raising his tail high into the air, struck off at fullgallop over the plain!

"Rejoiced at seeing this, I thought no more of what had relieved me ofhis company. It must have been my curious fall, I concluded; but nomatter now that the brute was gone. So seizing hold of my gun, Iprepared to descend from the elevated position, of which I wasthoroughly tired. 

"Just as I had got half down the side, I chanced to look below; andthere was the object that terrified the old bull. No wonder. It mighthave terrified anything, --the odd-looking creature that it was. Fromout a hole in the clay wall protruded a long naked cylindrical snout, mounted by a pair of ears nearly as long as itself, that stood erectlike the horns of a steinbuck, and gave to the animal that bore them awild and vicious look. It would have badly frightened me, had I notknown what it was; but I recognised it at once as one of the mostinoffensive creatures in the world--the `aard-vark. '

"His appearance accounted for the retreat of the bull, and alsoexplained why the ants had been crawling about on my first reachingtheir hill. 

"Without saying a word, or making the slightest noise, I clubbed my gun;and, bending downward, struck the protruded snout a blow with the butt. It was a most wicked blow; and, considering the service the creature hadjust done me in frightening off the wildebeest, a most ungratefulreturn. But I was not master of my feelings at the moment. I did notreflect--only that I liked aard-vark flesh--and the blow was given. 

"Poor fellow! It did the job for him. With scarce a kick he droppeddead in the opening he had scraped with his own claws. 

"Well--my day's adventures were not yet ended. They seemed as thoughthey were never to end. I had got the aard-vark over my shoulders, andwas about heading homeward, when, to my astonishment, I observed thatthe bull-gnoo--not the one that had besieged me, but his lateantagonist--was still out upon the plain where I had last seen him! Iobserved, moreover, that he was still in a sort of half-lyinghalf-kneeling attitude, with his head close to the ground!

"His odd movements seemed stranger than anything else. I fancied he hadbeen badly hurt by the other, and was not able to get away. 

"At first I was cautious about going near him--remembering my latenarrow escape--and I thought of giving him a wide berth, and leaving himalone. Even though wounded, he might be strong enough to charge uponme; and my empty gun, as I had already proved, would be but a poorweapon with which to defend myself. 

"I hesitated about going near him; but curiosity grew strong within me, as I watched his queer manoeuvres; until at length I walked up within adozen yards of where he was kneeling. 

"Fancy my surprise on discovering the cause of his oblique movements. No hurt had he received of any kind--not even a scratch; but for allthat, he was as completely crippled as if he had lost his best pair oflegs. 

"In a very singular manner was he rendered thus helpless. In hisstruggle with the other bull, one of his fore-legs had, somehow orother, got passed over his horn; and there it stuck--not only deprivinghim of the use of the limb itself, but holding his head so close to theground that he was quite unable to stir from the spot!

"At first I designed helping him out of his difficulty, and letting himgo. On second thoughts, I remembered the story of the husbandman andthe frozen snake, which quite changed my intention. 

"I next thought of killing him for venison; but having no bullet, I didnot like to beat him to death with my gun. Besides the aard-vark was myload to camp, and I knew that the jackals would eat the bull up beforewe could go back for him. I thought it probable he would be safer leftas he was--as these ravenous brutes, seeing him alive, might not soreadily approach him. 

"So I left him with his `head under his arm, ' in hopes that we may findhim there to-morrow. "

So ended Hans's narrative of his day's adventures. 

CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE. 

THE ELEPHANT'S SLEEPING-ROOST. 

The field-cornet was far from satisfied with his day's work. His firstattempt at elephant-hunting had proved a failure. Might it not bealways so?

Notwithstanding the interest with which he listened to Hans's narrativeof the day's adventures, he felt uneasy in his mind when he reflectedupon his own. 

The elephant had escaped so easily. Their bullets seemed to haveinjured him not the least. They had only served to render him furious, and dangerous. Though both had hit him in places where their woundsshould have been mortal, no such effect was produced. The elephantseemed to go off as unscathed, as if they had fired only boiled peas athim!

Would it be always so?

True, they had given him but two shots. Two, if well directed, maybring down a cow-elephant and sometimes a bull, but oftener it requiresten times two before a strong old bull can be made to "bite the dust. "

But would _any_ elephant wait until they could load and fire asufficient number of shots?

That was an undecided point with our tyro elephant-hunters. If _not_, then they would be helpless indeed. It would be a tedious businessspooring the game afoot, after it had once been fired upon. In suchcases the elephant usually travels many miles before halting again; andonly mounted men can with any facility overtake him. 

How Von Bloom sighed when he thought of his poor horses! Now more thanever did he feel the want of them--now more than ever did he regrettheir loss. 

But he had heard that the elephant does not _always_ make off whenattacked. The old bull had shown no intention of retreating, afterreceiving their shots. It was the odd conduct of Swartboy that had puthim to flight. But for that, he would no doubt have kept the ground, until they had given him another volley, and perhaps his death-wound. 

The field-cornet drew consolation from this last reflection. Perhapstheir next encounter would have a different ending. Perhaps a pair oftusks would reward them. 

The hope of such a result, as well as the anxiety about it, determinedVon Bloom to lose no time in making a fresh trial. Next morning, therefore, before the sun was up, the hunters were once more upon thetrail of their giant game. 

One precaution they had taken, which they had not thought of before. All of them had heard that an ordinary leaden bullet will not penetratethe tough thick skin of the great "pachyderm. " Perhaps this had beenthe cause of their failure on the preceding day. If so they hadprovided against the recurrence of failure from such a cause. They hadmoulded a new set of balls of harder material, --solder it should havebeen, but they had none. They chanced, however, to be in possession ofwhat served the purpose equally well--the old "plate" that had oftengraced the field-cornet's table in his better byegone days of the GraafReinet. This consisted of candlesticks, and snuffer-trays, anddish-covers, and cruet-stands, and a variety of articles of the real"Dutch metal. "

Some of these were condemned to the alembic of the melting-pan; and, mixed with the common lead, produced a set of balls hard enough for thehide of the rhinoceros itself--so that this day the hunters had no fearsof failure upon the score of soft bullets. 

They went in the same direction as upon the preceding day, towards theforest or "bush" (bosch), as they termed it. 

They had not proceeded a mile when they came upon the spoor of elephantsnearly fresh. It passed through the very thickest of the thornyjungle--where no creature but an elephant, a rhinoceros, or a man withan axe, could have made way. A family must have passed, consisting of amale, a female or two, and several young ones of different ages. Theyhad marched in single file, as elephants usually do; and had made aregular lane several feet wide, which was quite clear of bushes, andtrampled by their immense footsteps. The old bull, Swartboy said, hadgone in advance, and had cleared the way of all obstructions, by meansof his trunk and tusks. This had evidently been the case, for thehunters observed huge branches broken off, or still hanging and turnedto one side, out of the way--just as if the hand of man had done it. 

Swartboy further affirmed, that such elephant-roads usually led towater; and by the very easiest and shortest routes--as if they had beenplanned and laid open by the skill of an engineer--showing the rareinstinct or sagacity of these animals. 

The hunters, therefore, expected soon to arrive at some watering-place;but it was equally probable the spoor might be leading them _from_ thewater. 

They had not followed it more than a quarter of a mile, when they cameupon another road of a similar kind, that crossed the one they werespooring upon. This had also been made by a number of elephants--afamily most likely--and the tracks upon it were as recent as those theyhad been following. 

They hesitated for a moment which to take; but at length concluded uponkeeping straight on; and so they moved forward as before. 

To their great disappointment the trail at last led out into more openground, where the elephants had scattered about; and after following thetracks of one, and then another without success, they got bewildered, and lost the spoor altogether. 

While casting about to find it in a place where the bush was thin andstraggling, Swartboy suddenly ran off to one side, calling to the othersto follow him. Von Bloom and Hendrik went after to see what the Bushmanwas about. They thought he had seen an elephant, and both, considerablyexcited, had already pulled the covers off their guns. 

There was no elephant, however. When they came up with Swartboy, he wasstanding under a tree, and pointing to the ground at its bottom. 

The hunters looked down. They saw that the ground upon one side of thetree was trampled, as though horses or some other animals had been tiedthere for a long time, and had worn off the turf, and worked it intodust with their hoofs. The bark of the tree--a full-topped shadyacacia--for some distance up was worn smooth upon one side, just asthough cattle had used it for a rubbing-post. 

"What has done it?" asked the field-cornet and Hendrik in a breath. 

"Da olifant's slapen-boom, " (the elephant's sleeping-tree), repliedSwartboy. 

No further explanation was necessary. The hunters remembered what theyhad been told about a curious habit which the elephant has--of leaningagainst a tree while asleep. This, then, was one of the sleeping-treesof these animals. 

But of what use to them, farther than to gratify a little curiosity?The elephant was not there. 

"Da ole karl come again, " said Swartboy. 

"Ha! you think so, Swart?" inquired Von Bloom. 

"Ya, baas, lookee da! spoor fresh--da groot olifant hab slap hereyesterday. "

"What then? you think we should lie in wait, and shoot him when hereturns. "

"No, baas, better dan shoot, we make him bed--den wait see um lie down. "

Swartboy grinned a laugh as he gave this piece of advice. 

"Make his bed! what do you mean?" inquired his master. 

"I tell you, baas, we get da olifant sure, if you leave da job to oleSwart. I gib you de plan for take him, no waste powder, no wastebullet. "

The Bushman proceeded to communicate his plan, to which his master--remembering their failure of yesterday--readily gave his consent. 

Fortunately they had all the implements that would be necessary forcarrying it out, --a sharp axe, a strong rope or "rheim" of raw-hide, andtheir knives--and they set about the business without loss of time. 

CHAPTER THIRTY SIX. 

MAKING THE ELEPHANT'S BED. 

To the hunters time was a consideration. If the elephant should returnthat day, it would be just before the hottest hours of noon. They had, therefore, scarce an hour left to prepare for him--to "make his bed, " asSwartboy had jocosely termed it. So they went to work with alacrity, the Bushman acting as director-general, while the other two receivedtheir orders from him with the utmost obedience. 

The first work which Swartboy assigned to them was, to cut and preparethree stakes of hard wood. They were to be each about three feet long, as thick as a man's arm, and pointed at one end. These were soonprocured. The iron-wood (_Olca undulata_) which grew in abundance inthe neighbourhood, furnished the very material; and after three piecesof sufficient length had been cut down with the axe, they were reducedto the proper size, and pointed by the knives of the hunters. 

Meanwhile Swartboy had not been idle. First with his knife he had cut alarge section of bark from the elephant's tree, upon the side againstwhich the animal had been in the habit of leaning, and about three feetfrom the ground. Then with the axe he made a deep notch, where the barkhad been removed--in fact, such a notch as would have caused the tree tofall had it been left to itself. But it was not, for before advancingso far in his work, Swartboy had taken measures to prevent that. He hadstayed the tree by fastening the rheim to its upper branches on the_opposite_ side, and then carrying the rope to the limbs of another treethat stood out in that direction. 

Thus adjusted, the elephant's tree was only kept from falling by therheim-stay; and a slight push, in the direction of the latter, wouldhave thrown over. 

Swartboy now replaced the section of bark, which he had preserved; andafter carefully collecting the chips, no one, without close examination, could have told that the tree had ever felt the edge of an axe. 

Another operation yet remained to be performed--that was the planting ofthe stakes, already prepared by Von Bloom and Hendrik. To set thesefirmly deep holes had to be made. But Swartboy was just the man to makea hole; and in less than ten minutes he had sunk three, each over a footdeep, and not a half-inch wider than the thickness of the stakes!

You may be curious to know how he accomplished this. You would have duga hole with a spade, and necessarily as wide as the spade itself. ButSwartboy had no spade, and would not have used it if there had beenone--since it would have made the holes too large for his purpose. 

Swartboy sunk his holes by "crowing"--which process he performed bymeans of a small pointed stick. With this he first loosened the earthin a circle of the proper size. He then took out the detached mould, flung it away, and used the point of the "crowing stick" as before. Another clearing out of mould, another application of the stick; and soon, till the narrow hole was deemed of sufficient depth. That was howSwartboy "crowed" the holes. 

They were sunk in a kind of triangle near the bottom of the tree, but onthe side opposite to that where the elephant would stand, should heoccupy his old ground. 

In each hole Swartboy now set a stake, thick end down and point upwards;some small pebbles, and a little mould worked in at the sides, wedgedthem as firmly as if they had grown there. 

The stakes were now daubed over with soft earth, to conceal the whitecolour of the wood; the remaining chips were picked up, and all tracesof the work completely obliterated. This done, the hunters withdrawfrom the spot. 

They did not go far; but choosing a large bushy tree to leeward, allthree climbed up into it, and sat concealed among its branches. 

The field-cornet held his long "roer" in readiness, and so did Hendrikhis rifle. In case the ingenious trap of Swartboy should fail, theyintended to use their guns, but not otherwise. 

It was now quite noon, and the day had turned into one of the hottest. But for the shade afforded by the leaves, they would have felt it verydistressing. Swartboy prognosticated favourably from this. The greatheat would be more likely than anything else to send the elephant to hisfavourite sleeping-place under the cool shady cover of the cameel-doorn. 

It was now quite noon. He could not be long in coming, thought they. 

Sure enough he came, and soon, too. 

They had not been twenty minutes on their perch, when they heard astrange, rumbling noise, which they knew proceeded from the stomach ofan elephant. The next moment they saw one emerge from the jungle, andwalk, with sweeping step, straight up to the tree. He seemed to have nosuspicion of any danger; but placed himself at once alongside the trunkof the acacia--in the very position and on the side Swartboy had said hewould take. From his spoor the Bushman knew he had been in the habit ofso standing. 

His head was turned from the hunters, but not so much as to prevent themfrom seeing a pair of splendid tusks, --six feet long at the least. 

While gazing in admiration at these rich trophies, they saw the animalpoint his proboscis upward, and discharge a vast shower of water intothe leaves, which afterwards fell dripping in bright globules over hisbody!

Swartboy said that he drew the water from his stomach. Althoughcloset-naturalists deny this, it must have been so; for shortly after, he repeated the act again and again--the quantity of water at eachdischarge being as great as before. It was plain that his trunk, largeas it was, could not have contained it all. 

He seemed to enjoy this "shower-bath;" and the hunters did not wonder atit, for they themselves, suffering at the time from heat and thirst, would have relished something of a similar kind. As the crystal dropsfell back from the acacia leaves, the huge animal was heard to utter alow grunt expressive of gratification. The hunters hoped that this wasthe prelude to his sleep, and watched him with intense earnestness. 

It proved to be so. 

As they sat gazing, they noticed that his head sunk a little, his earsceased their flapping, his tail hung motionless, and his trunk, nowtwined around his tusks, remained at rest. 

They gaze intently. Now they see his body droop a little to one side--now it touches the tree--there is heard a loud crack, followed by aconfused crashing of branches--and the huge dark body of the elephantsinks upon its side. 

At the same instant a terrible scream drowns all other sounds, causingthe forest to echo, and the very leaves to quake. Then follows aconfused roaring, mingled with the noise of cracking branches, and thestruggles of the mighty brute where he lies kicking his giant limbsalong the earth, in the agonies of death!

The hunters remain in the tree. They see that the elephant is down--that he is impaled. There will be no need for their puny weapons. Their game has already received the death-wound. 

The struggle is of short duration. The painful breathing that precedesdeath is heard issuing from the long proboscis; and then follows a deepominous silence. 

The hunters leap down, and approach the prostrate body. They see thatit still lies upon the terrible _chevaux de frise_, where it had fallen. The stakes have done their work most effectively. The elephantbreathes no more. He is dead!

It was the work of an hour to cut out those splendid tusks. But ourhunters thought nothing of that; and they were only the more pleased tofind each of them a heavy load--as much as a man could carry!

Von Bloom shouldered one, Swartboy the other while Hendrik loadedhimself with the guns and implements; and all three, leaving the carcassof the dead elephant behind them, returned triumphantly to camp. 

CHAPTER THIRTY SEVEN. 

THE WILD-ASSES OF AFRICA. 

Notwithstanding the success of the day's hunt the mind of Von Bloom wasnot at rest. They had "bagged" their game, it was true, but in whatmanner? Their success was a mere accident, and gave them no earnest ofwhat might be expected in the future. They might go long before findinganother "sleeping-tree" of the elephants, and repeating their easycapture. 

Such were the not very pleasant reflections of the field-cornet, on theevening after returning from their successful hunt. 

But still less pleasant were they, two weeks later, at the retrospect ofmany an unsuccessful chase from which they had returned--when, aftertwelve days spent in "jaging" the elephant, they had added only a singlepair of tusks to the collection, and these the tusks of a cow-elephant, scarce two feet in length, and of little value!

The reflection was not the less painful, that nearly every day they hadfallen in with elephants, and had obtained a shot or two at theseanimals. That did not mend the matter a bit. On the contrary, ittaught the hunter how easily they could run away from him, as theyinvariably did. It taught him how small his chances were of capturingsuch game, so long as he could only follow it _afoot_. 

The hunter on foot stands but a poor chance with the elephant. Stalkingin upon one is easy enough, and perhaps obtaining a single shot; butwhen the animal trots off through the thick jungle, it is tedious workfollowing him. He may go miles before halting, and even if the huntershould overtake him, it may be only to deliver a second shot, and seethe game once more disappear into the bushes--perhaps to be spoored nofarther. 

Now the mounted hunter has this advantage. His horse _can overtake_ theelephant; and it is a peculiarity of this animal, that the moment hefinds that his enemy, whatever it be, _can_ do that thing, he disdainsto run any farther, but at once stands to bay; and the hunter may thendeliver as many shots as he pleases. 

Herein lies the great advantage of the hunter on horseback. Anotheradvantage is the security the horse affords, enabling his rider to avoidthe charges of the angry elephant. 

No wonder Von Bloom sighed for a horse. No wonder he felt grieved atthe want of this noble companion, that would have aided him so much inthe chase. 

He grieved all the more, now that he had become acquainted with thedistrict, and had found it so _full_ of elephants. Troops of an hundredhad been seen; and these far from being shy, or disposed to make offafter a shot or two. Perhaps they had never heard the report of a gunbefore that of his own long roer pealed in their huge ears. 

_With_ a horse the field-cornet believed he could have killed many, andobtained much valuable ivory. _Without_ one, his chances of carryingout his design were poor indeed. His hopes were likely to end indisappointment. 

He felt this keenly. The bright prospects he had so ardently indulgedin, became clouded over; and fears for the future once more harassedhim. He would only waste his time in this wilderness. His childrenwould live without books, without education, without society. Were heto be suddenly called away, what would become of them? His prettyGertrude would be no better off than a little savage--his sons wouldbecome not in sport, as he was wont to call them, but in reality a trioof "Bush-boys. "

Once more these thoughts filled the heart of the father with pain. Oh!what would he not have given at that moment for a pair of horses, of anysort whatever?

The field-cornet, while making these reflections, was seated in thegreat nwana-tree, upon the platform, that had been built on the sidetowards the lake, and from which a full view could be obtained of thewater. From this point a fine view could also be obtained of thecountry which lay to the eastward of the lake. At some distance off itwas wooded, but nearer the vley a grassy plain lay spread before the eyelike a green meadow. 

The eyes of the hunter were turned outward on this plain, and just thenhis glance tell upon a troop of animals crossing the open ground, andadvancing towards the vley. 

They were large animals--nearly of the shape and size of small horses--and travelling in single file; as they were, the troop at a distancepresented something of the appearance of a "cafila, " or caravan. Therewere in all about fifty individuals in the line; and they marched alongwith a steady sober pace, as if under the guidance and direction of somewise leader. How very different from the capricious and eccentricmovements of the gnoos!

Individually they bore some resemblance to these last-named animals. Inthe shape of their bodies and tails, in their general ground colour, andin the "brindled" or tiger-like stripes that could be perceived upontheir cheeks, neck, and shoulders. These stripes were exactly of thesame form as those upon a zebra; but far less distinct, and notextending to the body or limbs, as is the case with the true zebra. Ingeneral colour, and in some other respects, the animals reminded one ofthe ass; but their heads, necks, and the upper part of their bodies, were of darker hue, slightly tinged with reddish-brown. In fact, thenew-comers had points of resemblance to all four--horse, ass, gnoo, andzebra--and yet they were distinct from any. To the zebra they bore thegreatest resemblance--for they were in reality a species of zebra--theywere _quaggas_. 

Modern naturalists have divided the _Equidae_, or horse family, into twogenera--the _horse (equus_) and the _ass (asinus_)--the principal pointsof distinction being, that animals of the horse kind have long flowingmanes, full tails, and warty callosities on both hind and fore limbs;while asses, on the contrary, have short, meagre, and upright manes, tails slender and furnished only with long hairs at the extremity, andtheir hind limbs wanting the callosities. These, however, are found onthe fore-legs as upon horses. 

Although there are many varieties of the horse genus--scores of them, widely differing from each other--they can all be easily recognised bythese characteristic marks, from the "Suffolk Punch, " the great Londondray-horse, down to his diminutive little cousin the "Shetland Pony. "

The varieties of the ass are nearly as numerous, though this fact is notgenerally known. 

First, we have the common ass (_Asinus vulgaris_), the type of thegenus; and of this there are many breeds in different countries, somenearly as elegant and as highly prized as horses. Next there is the"onagra, " "koulan, " or "wild-ass" (_Asinus onager_), supposed to be theorigin of the common kind. This is a native of Asia, though it is alsofound in the north-eastern parts of Africa. There is also the"dziggetai, " or "great wild-ass" (_Asinus hemionus_), of Central andSouthern Asia, and another smaller species the "ghur" (_Asinus Hamar_)found in Persia. Again, there is the "kiang" (_Asinus kiang_) met within Ladakh, and the "yo-totze" (_Asinus equulus_), an inhabitant ofChinese Tartary. 

All these are Asiatic species, found in a wild state, and differing fromone another in colour, size, form, and even in habits. Many of them areof elegant form, and swift as the swiftest horses. 

In this little book we cannot afford room for a description of each, butmust confine our remarks to what is more properly our subject--_thewild-asses of Africa_. Of these there are six or seven kinds--perhapsmore. 

First, there is the "wild-ass" (_Asinus onager_), which, as alreadystated, extends from Asia into the north-eastern parts of Africa, contiguous to the former continent. 

Next there is the "koomrah, " of which very little is known, except thatit inhabits the forests of Northern Africa, and is solitary in itshabits, unlike most of the other species. The koomrah has beendescribed as a "wild horse, " but, most probably, it belongs to the genus_asinus_. 

Now there are four other species of "wild-asses" in Africa--wild horsessome call them--and a fifth reported by travellers, but as yetundetermined. These species bear such a resemblance to one another intheir form, the peculiar markings of their bodies, size, and generalhabits, that they may be classed together under the title of the _zebra_family. First, there is the true zebra (_Equus zebra_), perhaps themost beautiful of all quadrupeds, and of which no description need begiven. Second, the "dauw, " or "Burchell's zebra, " as it is morefrequently called (_Equus Burchellii_). Third, the "Congo dauw" (_Equushippotigris_), closely resembling the dauw. Fourth, the "quagga"(_Equus quagga_); and fifth, the undetermined species known as the"white zebra" (_Equus Isabellinus_), so-called from its pale yellow, orIsabella colour. 

These five species evidently have a close affinity with each other--allof them being more or less marked with the peculiar transversal bands or"stripes, " which are the well-known characteristics of the zebra. Eventhe quagga is so banded upon the head and upper parts of its body. 

The zebra proper is "striped" from the tip of the nose to its veryhoofs, and the bands are of a uniform black, while the ground colour isnearly white, or white tinged with a pale yellow. The "dauws, " on theother hand, are not banded upon the legs; the rays are not so dark orwell defined, and the ground colour is not so pure or clean-looking. For the rest, all these three species are much alike; and it is morethan probable that either "Burchell's" or the "congo dauw", was thespecies to which the name of "zebra" was first applied; for that whichis now called the "true zebra" inhabits those parts of Africa where itwas less likely to have been the first observed of that genus. At allevents, the "congo dauw" is the "hippotigris, " or tiger-horse, of theRomans; and this we infer from its inhabiting a more northerly part ofAfrica than the others, all of which belong to the southern half of thatcontinent. The habitat of the zebra is said to extend as far north asAbyssinia; but, perhaps, the "congo dauw, " which certainly inhabitsAbyssinia, has been mistaken for the true zebra. 

Of the four species in South Africa, the zebra is a mountain animal, anddwells among the cliffs, while the dauw and quagga rove over the plainsand wild karoo deserts. In similar situations to these has the "whitezebra" been observed--though only by the traveller Le Vaillant--andhence the doubt about its existence as a distinct species. 

None of the kinds associate together, though each herds with otheranimals! The quagga keeps company with the gnoo, the "dauw" with the"brindled gnoo, " while the tall ostrich stalks in the midst of the herdsof both!

There is much difference in the nature and disposition of the differentspecies. The mountain zebra is very shy and wild; the dauw is almostuntameable; while the quagga is of a timid docile nature, and may betrained to harness with as much facility as a horse. 

The reason why this has not been done, is simply because the farmers ofSouth Africa have horses in plenty, and do not stand in need of thequagga, either for saddle or harness. 

But though Von Bloom the _farmer_ had never thought of "breaking in" aquagga, Von Bloom the _hunter_ now did. 

CHAPTER THIRTY EIGHT. 

PLANNING THE CAPTURE OF THE QUAGGAS. 

Up to this time the field-cornet had scarce deigned to notice thequaggas. He knew what they were, and had often seen a drove of them--perhaps the same one--approach the vley and drink. Neither he nor anyof his people had molested them, though they might have killed many. They knew that the yellow oily flesh of these animals was not fit forfood, and is only eaten by the hungry natives--that their hides, although sometimes used for grain-sacks and other common purposes, areof very little value. For these reasons, they had suffered them to comeand go quietly. They did not wish to waste powder and lead upon them;neither did they desire wantonly to destroy such harmless creatures. 

Every evening, therefore, the quaggas had drunk at the vley and gone offagain, without exciting the slightest interest. 

Not so upon this occasion. A grand design now occupied the mind of VonBloom. The troop of quaggas became suddenly invested with as muchinterest as if it had been a herd of elephants; and the field-cornet hadstarted to his feet, and stood gazing upon them--his eyes sparkling withpleasure and admiration. 

He admired their prettily-striped heads, their plump well-turned bodies, their light elegant limbs; in short, he admired everything about them, size, colour, and proportions. Never before had quaggas appeared sobeautiful in the eyes of the vee-boor. 

But why this new-born admiration for the despised quaggas?--for despisedthey are by the Cape farmer, who shoots them only to feed his Hottentotservants. Why had they so suddenly become such favourites with thefield-cornet? That you will understand by knowing the reflections thatwere just then passing through his mind. They were as follows:--

Might not a number of these animals be caught and broken in?--Why not?Might they not be trained to the saddle?--Why not? Might they not servehim for hunting the elephant just as well as horses?--Why not?

Von Bloom asked these three questions of himself. Half a minute servedto answer them all in the affirmative. There was neither impossibilitynor improbability in any of the three propositions. It was clear thatthe thing could be done, and without difficulty. 

A new hope sprang up in the heart of the field-cornet. Once more hiscountenance became radiant with joy. 

He communicated his thoughts both to the Bushman and "Bush-boys"--all ofwhom highly approved of the idea, and only wondered that none of themhad thought of it before. 

And now the question arose, as to how the quaggas were to be captured. This was the first point to be settled; and the four, --Von Bloomhimself, Hans, Hendrik, and Swartboy, --sat deliberately down to concoctsome plan of effecting this object. 

Of course they could do nothing just then, and the drove that had cometo drink was allowed to depart peacefully. The hunters knew they wouldreturn on the morrow about the same hour; and it was towards theirreturn that the thought of all were bent. 

Hendrik advised "creasing, " which means sending a bullet through theupper part of the neck near the withers, and by this means a quagga canbe knocked over and captured. The shot, if properly directed, does notkill the animal. It soon recovers, and may be easily "broken, " thoughits spirit is generally broken at the same time. It is never "itselfagain. " Hendrik understood the mode of "creasing. " He had seen itpractised by the boor-hunters. He knew the spot where the bullet shouldhit. He believed he could do it easily enough. 

Hans considered the "creasing" too cruel a mode. They might kill manyquaggas before obtaining one that was hit in the proper place. Besidesthere would be a waste of powder and bullets--a thing to be considered. Why could they not snare the animals? He had heard of nooses being setfor animals as large as the Quaggas, and of many being caught in thatmanner. 

Hendrik did not think the idea of snaring a good one. They might getone in that way--the foremost of the drove; but all the others, seeingthe leader caught, would gallop off and return no more to the vley; andwhere would they set their snare for a second? It might be a long timebefore they should find another watering-place of these animals; whereasthey might stalk and crease them upon the plains at any time. 

Swartboy now put in his plan. It was the _pit-fall_. That was the wayby which Bushmen most generally caught large animals, and Swartboyperfectly understood how to construct a pit for quaggas. 

Hendrik saw objections to this, very similar to those he had urgedagainst the snare. The foremost of the quaggas might be caught, but theothers would not be fools enough to walk into the pit--after theirleader had fallen in and laid the trap open. They of course wouldgallop off, and never come back that way again. 

If it could be done at night, Hendrik admitted, the thing might bedifferent. In the darkness several might rush in before catching thealarm. But no--the quaggas had always come to drink in day-time--oneonly could be trapped, and then the others alarmed would keep away. 

There would have been reason in what Hendrik said, but for a remarkablefact which the field-cornet himself had observed when the quaggas cameto the lake to drink. It was, that the animals had invariably enteredthe water at one point, and gone out at another. It was of course amere accident that they did so, and owing to the nature of the ground;but such was the case, and Von Bloom had observed it on severaloccasions. They were accustomed to enter by the gorge, alreadydescribed; and, after drinking, wade along the shallow edge for someyards, and then pass out by another break in the bank. 

The knowledge of this fact was of the utmost importance, and all sawthat at once. A pit-fall dug upon the path by which the animals enteredthe lake, would no doubt operate as Hendrik said--one might be caught, and all the rest frightened off. But a similar trap placed upon thetrail that led outward, would bring about a very different result. Oncethe quaggas had finished drinking, and just at the moment they wereheading out of the water, the hunters could show themselves upon theopposite side, set the troop in quick motion, and _gallop them into thetrap_. By this means not only one, but a whole pit-full might becaptured at once!

All this appeared so feasible that not another suggestion was offered--the plan of the _pit-fall_ was at once, and unanimously adopted. 

It remained only to dig the pit, cover it properly, and then wait theresult. 

During all the time their capture was being planned, the herd of quaggashad remained in sight, disporting themselves upon the open plain. Itwas a tantalising sight to Hendrik, who would have liked much to haveshown his marksman skill by "creasing" one. But the young hunter sawthat it would be imprudent to fire at them there, as it would preventthem from returning to the vley; so he restrained himself, and alongwith the others remained watching the quaggas--all regarding them with adegree of interest which they had never before felt in looking at adrove of these animals. 

The quaggas saw nothing of them, although quite near to the greatnwana-tree. They--the hunters--were up among the branches, where theanimals did not think of looking, and there was nothing around thebottom of the tree to cause them alarm. The wagon-wheels had long agobeen disposed of in the bush, partly to shelter them from the sun, andpartly because game animals frequently came within shot of the tree, andwere thus obtained without any trouble. There were scarce any tracesupon the ground that would have betrayed the existence of a "camp" inthe tree; and a person might have passed very near without noticing theodd aerial dwelling of the hunter family. 

All this was design upon the part of the field-cornet. As yet he knewlittle of the country around. He did not know but that it might containworse enemies than either hyenas or lions. 

While they sat watching the manoeuvres of the quaggas, a movement wasmade by one of these creatures more singular than any that had yet beenwitnessed. 

The animal in question was browsing quietly along, and at lengthapproached a small clump of bushes that stood out in the open ground. When close to the copse it was observed to make a sudden spring forward;and almost at the same instant, a shaggy creature leaped out of thebushes, and ran off. This last was no other than the ugly "striped"hyena. Instead of turning upon the quagga and showing fight, as onemight have supposed so strong and fierce a brute would have done, thehyena uttered a howl of alarm, and ran off as fast as its legs wouldcarry it. 

They did not carry it far. It was evidently making for a larger tractof bush that grew near: but before it had got half-way across the openground, the quagga came up behind, and uttering his shrill "couaag, "reared forward, and dropped with his fore-hoofs upon the hyena's back. At the same instant the neck of the carnivorous animal was clutched bythe teeth of the ruminant and held as fast, as if grasped by a vice. 

All looked to see the hyena free itself and run off again. They lookedin vain. It never ran another yard. It never came alive out of theclutch of those terrible teeth. 

The quagga still held his struggling victim with firm hold--trampling itwith his hoofs, and shaking it in his strong jaws, until in a fewminutes the screams of the hyena ceased, and his mangled carcass laymotionless upon the plain!

One would think that this incident might have been enough to warn ourhunters to be cautious in their dealings with the quagga. Such a sharpbiter would be no pleasant horse to "bit and bridle. "

But all knew the antipathy that exists between the wild horse and thehyena; and that the quagga, though roused to fury at the sight of one ofthese animals, is very different in its behaviour towards man. Sostrong, in fact, is this antipathy, and so complete is the mastery ofthe ruminant over the carnivorous animal, that the frontier farmersoften take advantage of these peculiar facts, and keep the hyenas fromtheir cattle by bringing up with the herd a number of quaggas, who actas its guards and protectors. 

CHAPTER THIRTY NINE. 

THE PIT-TRAP. 

While they were watching the movements of the quaggas, Von Bloom rosesuddenly to his feet. All turned their eyes upon him as he did so. They saw by his manner that he was about to propose something. Whatcould it be?

The thought had just occurred to him that they should at once set aboutdigging the pit. 

It was near sunset--wanting only half-an-hour of it; and one wouldsuppose he would have done better to leave the work till next morning. But no. There was a good reason why they should set about it at once;and that was, that they might not be able to complete it in time if theydid not do part of it that night. 

It would be no slight undertaking to dig a pit of proper size, for theywould require one that would at least hold half-a-dozen quaggas at atime. Then there was the carrying away the earth that should come outof it, the cutting the poles and branches to cover it, and the placingof these in a proper manner. 

To do all these things would take up a great deal of time; and they mustbe all done against the return of the quaggas, else the whole schemewould be a failure. Should the animals arrive upon the ground beforethe pit was covered in and all traces of the work removed, they wouldmake off without entering the water, and perhaps never visit that vleyagain. 

Such were the conjectures of the field-cornet. Hans, Hendrik, andSwartboy, acknowledged their justice. All saw the necessity of going towork at once, and to work they all went. 

Fortunately among the "implements, " were two good spades, a shovel, anda pick-axe, and all of them could be busy at the same time. There werebaskets in which the dirt could be sanded off, and thrown into the deepchannel close by, where it would not be seen. This was also a fortunatecircumstance; for to have carried the stuff any great distance, wouldhave made the job still heavier, and more difficult to execute in propertime. 

Having marked the outlines of the pit, they went to work with spade, shovel, and pick. The ground proved tolerably loose, and the pick wasbut little needed. The field-cornet himself handled one of the spades, Hendrik the other, while Swartboy acted as shoveller, and filled thebaskets as fast as Hans and Totty, assisted by Truey and little Jan, could empty them. These last carried a small basket of their own, andcontributed very materially to the progress of the work, by lighteningthe labours of Hans and Totty. 

And so the work went merrily on until midnight, and even after thathour, under the light of a full moon; by which time the diggers wereburied to their necks. 

But they were now fatigued. They knew they could easily complete thepit next day; and so they laid down their implements, and afterperforming their ablutions in the crystal water of the stream, retiredto their sleeping-quarters in the tree. 

By early dawn they were at it again, busy as bees; and the pitprogressed so rapidly that before they stopped to take breakfast VonBloom could scarce see out of it standing on his toes, and the crown ofSwartboy's woolly head was nearly two feet below the surface. A littlemore digging would do. 

After breakfast they went to work at briskly as ever; and laboured awayuntil they considered that the hole was sunk to a sufficient depth. Itwould have taken a springbok to have leaped out of it; and no quaggacould possibly have cleared itself from such a pit. 

Poles and bushes were now cut; and the pit was neatly covered withthese, and strewed over, as well as a large tract of the adjoiningground, with rushes and grass. The most sagacious animal would havebeen deceived by the appearance; even a fox could not have discoveredthe tray before tumbling into it. 

They had completed the work before going to dinner, --which, consequently, fell late on that day--so nothing more remained to be donebut to dine, and await the coming of the quaggas. 

At dinner they were all very merry, notwithstanding the immense fatiguethey had gone through. The prospect of capturing the quaggas was veryexciting, and kept the party in high spirits. 

Each offered a prognostication as to the result. Some said they wouldtrap three quaggas at the least; while others were more sanguine, andbelieved they might take twice that number. Jan did not see why the pitshould not be full; and Hendrik thought this probable enough--considering the way they intended to drive the quaggas into it. 

It certainly seemed so. The pit had been made of sufficient width topreclude the possibility of the animals leaping over it, while it wasdug lengthwise across the path, so that they could not miss it. The layof the ground would guide them directly into it. 

It is true that, were they to be left to themselves, and permitted tofollow their usual method of marching--that is, in single file--onlyone, the leader, might be caught. The rest, seeing him fall in, wouldbe sure to wheel round, and gallop off in a different direction. 

But it was not the intention of the hunters to leave things thus. Theyhad planned a way by which the quaggas, at a certain moment, would bethrown into a complete panic, and thus forced pell-mell upon the pit. In this lay their hopes of securing a large number of the animals. 

Four was as many as were wanted. One for each of the hunters. Fourwould do; but of course it mattered not how many more got into the pit. The more the better, as a large number would give them the advantage of"pick and choose. "

Dinner over, the hunters set about preparing for the reception of theirexpected visitors. As already stated, the dinner had been later thanusual; and it was now near the hour when the quaggas might be lookedfor. 

In order to be in time, each took his station. Hans, Hendrik, andSwartboy, placed themselves in ambush around the lake--at intervals fromone another; but the lower end, where the animals usually approached andwent out, was left quite open. Von Bloom remained on the platform inthe tree, so as to mark the approach of the quaggas, and give warning bya signal to the other three. The positions taken by these were such, that they could guide the herd in the direction of the pit by merelycoming out of the bushes where they lay concealed. In order that theyshould show themselves simultaneously, and at the proper moment, theywere to wait for a signal from the tree. This was to be the firing ofthe great "roer, " loaded blank. Hans and Hendrik were also to fireblank shots on discovering themselves, and by this means the desiredpanic would be produced. 

The whole scheme was well contrived, and succeeded admirably. The herdappeared filing over the plain, just as on the preceding days. VonBloom announced their approach to the three in ambush, by repeating in asubdued tone the words, --

"Quaggas are coming!"

The unsuspecting animals filed through the gorge, scattered about in thewater, drank their fill, and then commenced retiring by the path onwhich lay the trap. 

The leader having climbed the bank, and seeing the fresh grass andrushes strewed upon the path, uttered a snorting bark, and seemed halfinclined to wheel round. But just at that moment boomed the louddetonation of the roer; and, then, like lesser echoes, the reports ofthe smaller guns on the right and left, while Swartboy shouted at thetop pitch of his voice, from another quarter. 

A look back showed the quaggas that they were well-nigh surrounded bystrange enemies. But one course appeared open to them--the way theywere wont to go; and barking with affright, the whole drove dashed upthe bank, and crowded on towards the pit. 

Then was heard a confused noise--the cracking of the poles--thetrampling of many hoofs--the dull sounds of heavy bodies fallingtogether, and mingling in a continuous struggle--and the wild snorting, as the creatures hurried forward in affright. Some were seen springinghigh in the air, as if to overleap the pit. Others poised themselves ontheir hind hoofs, and wheeling round, ran back into the lake. Somedashed off through the bushes, and escaped in that way; but the greatbody of the drove came running back, and plunging through the water, made off by the gorge through which they had come. In a few minutes notone was in sight. 

The boys thought they had all escaped; but Von Bloom, from his moreelevated position in the tree, could perceive the snouts of severalprotruding above the edge of the pit. 

On arriving at the spot, to their great satisfaction the huntersdiscovered no less than eight full-grown quaggas in the trap--just twicethe number required to mount the party. 

In less than two weeks from that time, four of the quaggas were brokento the saddle, and perfectly obedient to the bit. Of course there was agood deal of kicking, and plunging, and flinging, and many hard gallops, and some ugly falls, before it came to this; but both the BushmanSwartboy and the Bush-boy Hendrik were expert in the _manege_ of horses, and soon tamed the quaggas to a proper degree of docility. 

Upon the very first occasion when these animals were used in the hunt ofthe elephant, they rendered the very service expected of them. Theelephant, as usual, bolted after receiving the first shot; but thehunters on "quagga-back" were enabled to keep him in sight, and followrapidly upon his heels. As soon as the elephant discovered that, run ashe would, his pursuers had the power of overtaking him, he disdained tofly farther, and stood to bay; thus giving them the opportunity ofdelivering shot after shot, until a mortal wound brought his huge bodyto the earth. 

Von Bloom was delighted. His hopes were high, his benignant star wasonce more in the ascendant. 

He would yet accomplish his design. He would yet be rich. A few yearswould enable him to build up his fortune--to construct a pyramid ofivory!

CHAPTER FORTY. 

DRIVING IN THE ELAND. 

Of all the family Hendrik was the hunter _par excellence_. It was hewho habitually stored the larder; and upon days when they were notengaged in the chase of the elephant, Hendrik would be abroad alone inpursuit of antelopes, and other creatures, that furnished their usualsubsistence. Hendrik kept the table well supplied. 

Antelopes are the principal game of South Africa--for Africa is thecountry of the antelope above all others. You may be surprised to hearthat there are _seventy different species of antelopes_ over all theearth--that more than fifty of these are African, and that thirty atleast belong to South Africa--that is, the portion of the continentlying between the Cape of Good Hope and the Tropic of Capricorn. 

It would require the space of a whole book, therefore, to give a fairaccount--a monograph--of the antelopes alone; and I cannot afford thatspace here. At present I can only say that Africa is the great antelopecountry, although many fine species exist also in Asia--that in Americathere is but one kind, the _prong-horn_, with which you are already wellacquainted--and that in Europe there are two, though one of these, thewell-known "chamois, " is as much goat as antelope. 

I shall farther remark, that the seventy species of animals, bynaturalists classed as antelopes, differ widely from one another inform, size, colour, pelage, habits; in short, in so many respects, thattheir classification under the name of _Antelope_ is very arbitraryindeed. Some approximate closely to the goat tribe; others are morelike deer; some resemble oxen; others are closely allied to the buffalo;while a few species possess many of the characteristics of wild sheep!

As a general thing, however, they are more like to deer than any otheranimals; and many species of them are, in common parlance, called deer. Indeed, many antelopes are more like to certain species of deer than toothers of their own kind. The chief distinction noted between them andthe deer is, that the antelopes have _horny_ horns, that are persistentor permanent, while those of the deer are osseous or _bony_, and areannually cast. 

Like the deer the different species of antelopes possess very differenthabits. Some frequent the wide open plains; some the deep forest; somewander by the shady banks of streams; while others love to dwell uponthe rocky steep, or the dry ravines of the mountains. Some browse uponthe grass; while others, goat-like, prefer the leaves and tender twigsof trees. In fact, so different are these creatures in habits, thatwhatever be the natural character of a district of country, it will befound the favourite home of one or more species. Even the very deserthas its antelopes, that prefer the parched and waterless plain to themost fertile and verdant valley. 

Of all antelopes the "eland, " or "caana" (_Antelope oreas_) is thelargest. It measures full seventeen hands at the shoulder--being thusequal in height to a very large horse. A large eland weighs onethousand pounds. It is a heavily formed animal, and an indifferentrunner, as a mounted hunter can gallop up to one without effort. Itsgeneral proportions are not unlike those of a common ox, but its hornsare straight and rise vertically from the crown, diverging only slightlyfrom one another. These are two feet in length, and marked by a ridgethat passes spirally around them nearly to the tips. The horns of thefemale are longer than those of the male. 

The eyes of the eland, like those of most antelopes, are large, bright, and melting, without any expression of fierceness; and the animal, though so very large and strong, is of the most innocuous disposition--showing fight only when driven to desperation. 

The general colour of this antelope is dun, with a rufous tinge. Sometimes ashy grey touched with ochre is the prevailing hue. 

The eland is one of those antelopes that appear to be independent ofwater. It is met with upon the desert plains, far from either spring orstream; and it even seems to prefer such situations--perhaps from thegreater security it finds there--though it is also a denizen of thefertile and wooded districts. It is gregarious, the sexes herdingseparately, and in groups of from ten to a hundred individuals. 

The flesh of the eland is highly esteemed, and does not yield indelicacy to that of any of the antelope, deer, or bovine tribes. It hasbeen compared to tender beef with a _game flavour_; and the muscles ofthe thighs when cured and dried produce a _bonne bouche_, known underthe odd appellation of "thigh-tongues. "

Of course the eland affording such excellent meat, and in so large aquantity, is zealously hunted for his spoils. Being only a poor runnerand always very fat, the hunt is usually a short one; and ends in theeland being shot down, skinned, and cut up. There is no greatexcitement about this chase, except that it is not every day an elandcan be started. The ease with which they can be captured, as well asthe value of their venison, has led to the thinning off of theseantelopes; and it is only in remote districts where a herd of them canbe found. 

Now since their arrival, no elands had been seen, though now and thentheir spoor was observed; and Hendrik, for several reasons, was verydesirous of getting one. He had never shot an eland in his life--thatwas one reason--and another was, that he wished to procure a supply ofthe fine venison which lies in such quantities over the ribs of theseanimals. 

It was, therefore, with great delight, that Hendrik one morning receivedthe report that a herd of elands had been seen upon the upper plain, andnot far off. Swartboy, who had been upon the cliffs, brought thisreport to camp. 

Without losing any more time than sufficed to get the direction fromSwartboy, Hendrik mounted his quagga, shouldered his rifle, and rode offin search of the herd. 

Not far from the camp there was an easy pass, leading up the cliff tothe plain above. It was a sort of gorge or ravine; and from thenumerous tracks of animals in its bottom, it was evidently much used asa road from the upper plain to that in which were the spring and stream. Certain animals, such as the zebras and quaggas, and others thatfrequent the dry desert plains from preference, were in the habit ofcoming by this path when they required water. 

Up the gorge rode Hendrik; and no sooner had he arrived at its top, thanhe discovered the herd of elands--seven old bulls--about a mile off uponthe upper plain. 

There was not cover enough to have sheltered a fox. The only growthnear the spot where the elands were, consisted of stragglingaloe-plants, euphorbias, with some stunted bushes, and tufts of drygrass, characteristic of the desert. There was no clump large enough tohave sheltered a hunter from the eye of his game; and Hendrik at oncecame to the conclusion, that the elands could not be "stalked" in thesituation they then occupied. 

Now, though Hendrik had never hunted this antelope, he was wellacquainted with its habits, and knew how it ought to be chased. He knewthat it was a bad runner; that any old horse could bring up with it; andthat his quagga--the fastest of the four that had been tamed--could dothe same. 

It was only a question of "start, " therefore. Could he get near enoughthe bulls to have a fair start, he would run one of them down to acertainty. The result might be different should the elands take thealarm at a long distance off, and scour away over the plain. 

To get within fair starting distance, that was the point to beattempted. 

But Hendrik was a wary hunter, and soon accomplished this. Instead ofriding direct for the elands, he made a grand circuit--until he had gotthe herd between him and the cliff--and then, heading his quagga forthem, he rode quietly forward. 

He did not sit erect in the saddle, but held himself bent down, untilhis breast almost touched the withers of the quagga. This he did todeceive the elands, who would otherwise have recognised him as an enemy. In such a fashion they could not make out what kind of creature wascoming towards them; but stood for a long while gazing at Hendrik andhis quagga with feelings of curiosity, and of course some little alarm. 

They, however, permitted the hunter to get within five hundred yardsdistance--near enough for him--before they broke off in their heavylumbering gallop. 

Hendrik now rose in his saddle, put spurs to his quagga, and followedthe herd at full speed. 

As he had designed, so it came to pass. The elands ran straight in thedirection of the cliff--not where the pass was, but where there wasnone--and, on reaching the precipice, were of course forced to turn intoa new direction, transverse to their former one. This gave Hendrik theadvantage, who, heading his quagga diagonally, was soon upon the heelsof the herd. 

It was Hendrik's intention to single out one of the bulls, and run himdown--leaving the others to gallop off wherever they wished. 

His intention was carried out; for shortly after, the fattest of thebulls shot to one side, as if to escape in that way, while the rest ranon. 

The bull was not so cunning as he thought himself. Hendrik's eye wasupon him; and in a moment the quagga was turned upon his track. 

Another burst carried both game and pursuer nearly a mile across theplain. The eland had turned from a rufous dun colour to that of aleaden blue; the saliva fell from his lips in long streamers, foamdappled his broad chest, the tears rolled out of his big eyes, and hisgallop became changed to a weary trot. He was evidently "blown. "

In a few minutes more the quagga was close upon his heels; and then thehuge antelope, seeing that farther running could not serve him, haltedin despair, and faced round towards his pursuer. 

Now Hendrik had his loaded rifle in his hand, and you expect to hearthat he instantly raised it to his shoulder, took aim, fired, andbrought down the eland. 

I must disappoint you, then, by telling you that he did no such thing. 

Hendrik was a real hunter--neither rash nor wasteful of his resources. He knew a better plan than to kill the eland upon the spot. He knewthat the animal was now quite in his power; and that he could drive himwherever he pleased, just like a tame ox. To have killed the creatureon the spot would have been a waste of powder and shot. More than that, it would have rendered necessary all the trouble of transporting itsflesh to camp--a double journey at least--and with the risk of thehyenas eating up most of it in his absence. Whereas he could save allthis trouble by _driving the eland to camp_; and this was his design. 

Without firing a shot, therefore, he galloped on past the blown bull, headed him, turned him round, and then drove him before him in thedirection of the cliff. 

The bull could make neither resistance nor opposition. Now and again, he would turn and trot off in a contrary direction; but he was easilyheaded again, and at length forced forward to the top of the pass. 

CHAPTER FORTY ONE. 

A WILD RIDE ON QUAGGA-BACK. 

Hendrik was congratulating himself on his success. He anticipated somepleasure in the surprise he was about to create at camp, when he shouldmarch in with the eland--for he had no doubt that he would succeed indoing so. 

Indeed, there appeared no reason to doubt it. The bull had alreadyentered the gorge, and was moving down it, while Hendrik and his quaggawere hurrying forward to follow. 

The hunter had arrived within a few yards of the top, when a loudtrampling noise sounded in his ears, as if a band of heavy-footedanimals were coming up the gorge. 

He spurred his quagga forward, in order to reach the edge, and get aview down the ravine. Before he was able to do so, he was surprised tosee the eland gallop up again, and try to pass him upon the plain. Ithad evidently received fresh alarm, from something in the gorge; andpreferred facing its old enemy to encountering the new. 

Hendrik did not give his attention to the eland. He could ride it downat any time. He was more anxious first to know what had given it thestart backward; so he continued to press forward to the head of theravine. 

He might have thought of lions, and acted with greater prudence; but thetrampling of hoofs which still echoed up the pass told him that lionswere not the cause of the eland's alarm. 

He at length reached a point where he could see down the declivity. Hehad not far to look--for already the animals that were making the noisewere close up to him; and he perceived they were nothing more than atroop of quaggas. 

He was not over-pleased at this interruption to his drive; and the lessdid he like it, that the intruders were quaggas--ill-conditioned brutesthat they were! Had they been game animals, he would have shot one; butthe only motive that would have induced him to shoot one of the quaggaswould have been a feeling of anger--for, at that moment, he was reallyangry at them. 

Without knowing it, poor brutes! they had likely given him cause for agood deal of trouble; for it would cost him a good deal, before he couldhead the eland again, and get it back into the pass. No wonder, then, he was vexed a little. 

But his vexation was not so grievous as to cause him to fire upon theapproaching herd; and, turning aside, he rode after the eland. 

He had hardly left the spot, when the quaggas came out of the pass, following each other to the number of forty or fifty. Each, as he sawthe mounted hunter, started with affright, and bolted off, until thewhole drove stretched out in a long line over the plain, snorting anduttering their loud "coua-a-g" as they ran. 

Hendrik would hardly have regarded this movement under ordinarycircumstances. He had often seen herds of quaggas, and was in no waycurious about them. But his attention was drawn to this herd, from hisnoticing, as they passed him, that four of them had their tails dockedshort; and from this circumstance, he recognised them as the four thathad been caught in the pit-trap and afterwards set free. Swartboy, forsome purpose of his own, had cut off the hair before letting them go. 

Hendrik had no doubt it was they, and that the herd was the same thatused to frequent the vley, but that on account of the ill-treatment theyhad met with, had never since shown themselves in the neighbourhood. 

Now these circumstances coming into Hendrik's mind at the moment, ledhim to regard the quaggas with a certain feeling of curiosity. Thesudden fright which the animals took on seeing him, and the comicappearance of the four with the stumped tails, rather inclined Hendriktowards merriment, and he laughed as he galloped along. 

As the quaggas went off in the same direction which the eland had taken, of course Hendrik's road and theirs lay so far together; and on gallopedhe at their heels. He was curious to try the point--much disputed inregard to horses--how far a mounted quagga would be able to cope with anunmounted one. He was curious, moreover, to find out whether his ownquagga was quite equal to any of its old companions. So on swept thechase--the eland leading, the quaggas after, and Hendrik bringing up therear. 

Hendrik had no need to ply the spur. His gallant steed flew like thewind. He seemed to feel that his character was staked upon the race. He gained upon the drove at every spring. 

The heavy-going eland was soon overtaken, and as it trotted to one side, was passed. It halted, but the quaggas kept on. 

Not only the drove kept on, but Hendrik's quagga following close attheir heels; and in less than five minutes they had left the eland afull mile in their rear, and were still scouring onward over the wideplain. 

What was Hendrik about? Was he going to forsake the eland, and let itescape? Had he grown so interested in the race? Was he jealous abouthis quagga's speed, and determined it should beat all the others?

So it would have appeared to any one witnessing the race from adistance. But one who could have had a nearer view of it, would havegiven a different explanation of Hendrik's conduct. 

The fact was, that as soon as the eland halted Hendrik intended to haltalso; and for that purpose pulled strongly upon his bridle. But, to hisastonishment, he found that his quagga did not share his intention. Instead of obeying the bit, the animal caught the steel in his teeth, and laying his ears back, galloped straight on!

Hendrik then endeavoured to turn the quagga to one side, and for thispurpose wrenched his right rein; but with such fierceness, that the oldbit-ring gave way--the bit slipped through the animal's jaws--thehead-stall came off with the jerk--and the quagga was completelyunbridled!

Of course the animal was now free to go just as he liked; and it wasplain that he liked to go with his old comrades. His old comrades hewell knew them to be, as his snorting and occasional neigh ofrecognition testified. 

At first Hendrik was disposed to look upon the breaking of his bit asonly a slight misfortune. For a boy he was one of the best riders inSouth Africa, and needed no rein to steady him. He could keep his seatwithout one. The quagga would soon stop, and he could then repair thebit, and re-adjust the bridle which he still held in his hands. Suchwere his reflections at first. 

But their spirit began to alter, when he found that the quagga, insteadof lessening his pace kept on as hard as ever, and the herd still ranwildly before him without showing the slightest signs of coming to ahalt. 

In fact, the quaggas were running through fear. They saw the mountedhunter behind them in hot pursuit; and although their old comrade knewwho _they_ were, how were they to tell what _he_ was, with such a tallhunch upon his back? No quagga he, but some terrible monster, theyimagined, thirsting for their lives, and eager to devour one and all ofthem!

No wonder they showed their heels in the best style they knew how; andso well did they show them, that Hendrik's quagga--notwithstanding hiskeen desire to get forward among them, and explain away the awkwardbusiness upon his back--was not able to come an inch closer. 

He did not lose ground, however. His eagerness to regain his oldassociates--to partake once more of their wild freedom--for he wasdesperately tired of civilised society, and sick of elephant-hunting--all these ideas crowded into his mind at the moment, and nerved him tothe utmost exertion. Could he only get up into the body of the crowd--for the herd now ran in a crowd--a few whimpers would suffice toexplain--they would come to a halt at once, --they would gather aroundhim, and assist both with hoofs and teeth to get "shed" of the uglytwo-legged thing that clung so tightly to his dorsal vertebras. 

It was "no go, " however. Although he was so close to their heels, thatthey flung dust in his face, and small pebbles in the face of his rider, to the no slight inconvenience of the latter; although he "whighered"whenever he could spare breath, and uttered his "couag, --couag!" inreality calling them by name, it was "no go. " "They would not stay. They would not hear. "

And what did Hendrik during all this time? Nothing--he could donothing. He could not stay the impetuous flight of his steed. He darednot dismount. He would have been hurled among sharp rocks, had heattempted such a thing. His neck would have been broken. He could donothing--nothing but keep his seat. 

What thought he? At first, not much. At first he regarded theadventure lightly. When he was about completing his third mile, hebegan to deem it more serious; and as he entered upon the fifth, hebecame convinced that he was neither more nor less than in a veryawkward scrape. 

But the fifth mile was left behind, and then a sixth, and a seventh; andstill the quaggas galloped wildly on--the drove actuated by the fear oflosing their liberty, and their old comrade by the desire of regaininghis. 

Hendrik now felt real uneasiness. Where were they going? Where was thebrute carrying him? Perhaps off to the desert, where he might be lostand perish of hunger or thirst! Already he was many miles from thecliffs, and he could no longer tell their direction. Even had he haltedthen and there, he could not tell which way to turn himself. He wouldbe lost!

He grew more than anxious. He became frightened in earnest. 

What was he to do? Leap down, and risk his neck in the fall? He wouldlose his quagga and his saddle as well--he regarded the eland as alreadylost--he would have to walk back to camp, and get laughed at on hisreturn. 

No matter for all that; his life was in danger if he kept on. Thequaggas might gallop twenty, --ay, fifty miles before halting. Theyshowed no symptoms of being blown--no signs of giving out. He mustfling himself to the ground, and let quagga and saddle go. 

He had formed this resolution, and was actually about to put it inpractice. He was just considering how he might best escape an uglyfall--looking for a soft spot--when, all at once, a grand idea rushedinto his mind. 

He remembered that in taming this same quagga and breaking him to thesaddle, he had been vastly aided by a very simple contrivance--that wasa "blind. " The blind was nothing more than a piece of soft leather tiedover the animal's eyes; but so complete had been its effect, that it hadtransformed the quagga at once from a kicking screaming creature into adocile animal. 

Hendrik now thought of the blind. 

True, he had none. Was there nothing about him that would serve as one?His handkerchief? No, it would be too thin. Hurrah! His jacket woulddo!

His rifle was in the way. It must be got rid of. It must be dropped tothe ground, he could return for it. 

It was let down as gently as possible, and soon left far behind. 

In a twinkling Hendrik stripped off his jacket. How was it to bearranged so as to blind the quagga? It would not do to drop it. 

A moment's consideration served the ready boy to mature his plan. Aftera moment he bent down, passed a sleeve upon each side under the quagga'sthroat, and then knotted them together. The jacket thus rested over theanimal's mane, with the collar near its withers, and the peak or skirtupon the small of its neck. 

Hendrik next leaned as far forward as he could, and with his extendedarms pushed the jacket up the animal's neck, until the skirt passed overits ears, and fell down in front of its face. 

It was with some difficulty that the rider, bent down as he was, couldretain his seat; for as soon as the thick flap of cloth came down overthe eyes of the quagga, the latter halted as if he had been shot dead inhis tracks. He did not fall, however, but only stood still, quiveringwith terror. His gallop was at an end!

Hendrik leaded to the ground. He was no longer afraid that the quagga, blinded as he now was, would make any attempt to get off; nor did he. 

In a few minutes the broken bit-ring was replaced by a strong rheim ofraw leather; the bit inserted between the quagga's teeth, the head-stallsafely buckled, and Hendrik once more in the saddle, with his jacketupon his back. 

The quagga felt that he was conquered. His old associates were nolonger in sight to tempt him from his allegiance; and with theseconsiderations, aided by a slight dose of bit and spur, he turned hishead, and moved sullenly upon the back-track. Hendrik knew nothingabout the route he should take. He followed back the spoor of thequaggas to the place where he had dropped his gun, which after riding amile or two he recovered. 

As there was no sun in the sky, nor other object to guide him, hethought he could not do better than trace back the spoor; and althoughit led him by many a devious route, and he saw nothing more of hiseland, before night he reached the pass in the cliff, and was soon aftersitting under the shadow of the nwana-tree, regaling a most interestedaudience with the narrative of his day's adventures. 

CHAPTER FORTY TWO. 

THE GUN-TRAP. 

It was about this time that the field-cornet and his people were verymuch annoyed by beasts of prey. The savoury smell which their campdaily sent forth, as well as the remains of antelopes, killed for theirvenison, attracted these visitors. Hyenas and jackals were constantlyskulking in the neighbourhood, and at night came around the greatnwana-tree in scores, keeping up their horrid chorus for hours together. It is true that nobody feared these animals, as the children at nightwere safe in their aerial home, where the hyenas could not get at them. But for all that, the presence of the brutes was very offensive, as nota bit of meat--not a hide, nor rheim, nor any article of leather--couldbe left below without their getting their teeth upon it, and chewing itup. 

Quarters of venison they had frequently stolen, and they had eaten upthe leathern part of Swartboy's saddle, and rendered it quite uselessfor a while. In short, so great a pest had the hyenas grown to be, thatit became necessary to adopt some mode of destroying them. 

It was not easy to get a shot at them. During the day they were wary, and either hid themselves in caves of the cliff or in the burrows of theant-eater. At night they were bold enough, and came into the very camp;but then the darkness hindered a good aim, and the hunters knew too wellthe value of powder and lead to waste it on a chance shot, though nowand then, when provoked by the brutes, they ventured one. 

But some way must be thought of to thin the numbers of these animals, orget rid of them altogether. This was the opinion of everybody. 

Two or three kinds of traps were tried, but without much success. A pitthey could leap out of, and from a noose they could free themselves bycutting the rope with their sharp teeth!

At length the field-cornet resorted to a plan--much practised by theboors of Southern Africa for ridding their farms of these and similarvermin. It was the "gun-trap. "

Now there are several ways of constructing a gun-trap. Of course a gunis the principal part of the mechanism, and the trigger pulled by astring is the main point of the contrivance. In some countries the baitis tied to the string, and the animal on seizing the bait tightens thestring, draws the trigger, and shoots itself. In this way, however, there is always some uncertainty as to the result. The animal may notplace its body in the proper position with regard to the muzzle, and mayeither escape the shot altogether, or may be only "creased, " and ofcourse get off. 

The mode of setting the "gun-trap" in South Africa is a superior plan;and the creature that is so unfortunate as to draw the trigger rarelyescapes, but is either killed upon the spot, or so badly wounded as toprevent its getting away. 

Von Bloom constructed his trap after the approved fashion, as follows:--Near the camp he selected a spot where three saplings or young treesgrew, standing in a line, and about a yard between each two of them. Had he not found three trees so disposed, stakes firmly driven into theground would have answered his purpose equally well. 

Thorn-bushes were now cut, and a kraal built in the usual manner--thatis, with the tops of the bushes turned outwards. The size of the kraalwas a matter of no consequence; and, of course, to save labour, a smallone was constructed. 

One point, however, was observed in making the kraal. Its door oropening was placed so that two of the three saplings stood like posts, one on each side of it; and an animal going into the enclosure mustneeds pass between these two trees. 

Now for the part the gun had to play. 

The weapon was placed in a horizontal position against two of thesaplings, --that is, the stock against the one outside the kraal, and thebarrel against one of the door-posts, and there firmly lashed. In thisposition the muzzle was close to the edge of the entrance, and pointingdirectly to the sapling on the opposite side. It was at such a heightas to have ranged with the heart of a hyena standing in the opening. 

The next move was to adjust the string. Already a piece of stick, several inches in length, had been fixed to the small of the stock, and, of course, _behind_ the trigger. This was fastened transversely, butnot so as to preclude all motion. A certain looseness in its adjustmentgave it the freedom required to be worked as a lever--for that was itsdesign. 

To each end of this little stick was fastened a string. One of thesestrings was attached to the trigger; the other, after being carriedthrough the thimbles of the ramrod, traversed across the entrance of thekraal, and was knotted upon the opposite side to the sapling that stoodthere. This string followed the horizontal direction of the barrel, andwas just "taut;" so that any farther strain upon it would act upon thelittle lever, and by that means pull the trigger; and then of course"bang" would go the roer. 

When this string was adjusted, and the gun loaded and cocked, the trapwas set. 

Nothing remained to be done but bait it. This was not a difficult task. It consisted simply in placing a piece of meat or carcass within theenclosure, and these leaving it to attract the prowling beasts to thespot. 

When the gun had been set, Swartboy carried up the bait--the offal of anantelope killed that day--and flung it into the kraal; and then theparty went quietly to their beds, without thinking more of the matter. 

They had not slept a wink, however, before they were startled by theloud "crack" of the roer, followed by a short stifled cry that told themthe gun-trap had done its work. 

A torch was procured, and the four hunters proceeded to the spot. Therethey found the dead body of a huge "tiger-wolf" lying doubled up in theentrance, and right under the muzzle of the gun. He had not gone a stepafter receiving the shot--in fact, had hardly kicked before dying--asthe bullet, wad, and all, had gone quite through his ribs and enteredhis heart, after making a large ugly hole in his side. Of course hemust have been within a few inches of the muzzle, when his breast, pressing against the string, caused the gun to go off. 

Having again loaded the roer, the hunters returned to their beds. Onemight suppose they would have dragged the suicidal hyena away from thespot, lest his carcass should serve as a warning to his comrades, andkeep them away from the trap. But Swartboy knew better than that. Instead of being scared by the dead body of one of their kind, thehyenas only regard it as proper prey, and will devour it as they wouldthe remains of a tender antelope!

Knowing this, Swartboy did not take the dead hyena away, but only drewit within the kraal to serve as a farther inducement for the others toattempt an entrance there. 

Before morning they were once more awakened by the "bang" of the greatgun. This time they lay still; but when day broke they visited theirtrap, and found that a second hyena had too rashly pressed his bosomagainst the fatal string. 

Night after night they continued their warfare against the hyenas, changing the trap-kraal to different localities in the surroundingneighbourhood. 

At length these creatures were nearly exterminated, or, at all events, became so rare and shy, that their presence by the camp was no longer anannoyance one way or the other. 

About this time, however, there appeared another set of visitors, whosepresence was far more to be dreaded, and whose destruction the hunterswere more anxious to accomplish. That was _a family of lions_. 

The spoor of these had been often seen in the neighbourhood; but it wassome time before they began to frequent the camp. However, about thetime the hyenas had been fairly got rid of, the lions took their place, and came every night, roaring about the camp in a most terrific manner. 

Dreadful as these sounds were, the people were not so much afraid ofthem as one might imagine. They well knew that the lions could not getat them in the tree. Had it been leopards they might have felt lesssecure, as the latter are true tree-climbers; but they had seen noleopards in that country, and did not think of them. 

They were not altogether without fear of the lions, however. They wereannoyed, moreover, that they could not with safety descend from the treeafter nightfall, but were every night _besieged_ from sunset tillmorning. Besides, although the cow and the quaggas were shut in strongkraals, they dreaded each night that the lions would make a seizure ofone or other of these animals; and the loss of any one of them, butespecially their valuable friend "old Graaf, " would have been a veryserious misfortune. 

It was resolved, therefore, to try the gun-trap upon the lions, as ithad succeeded so well with the hyenas. 

There was no difference in the construction or contrivance of the trap. The gun only had to be placed upon a higher level, so that its muzzlemight be opposite the lion's heart, and the proper range was easilyobtained. The bait, however, was not carcass, but an animal freshlykilled; and for this purpose an antelope was procured. 

The result was as desired. On the first night the old male lion"breasted" the fatal string and bit the dust. Next night the lionesswas destroyed in a similar way; and shortly after a full-grown youngmale. 

The trap then lay idle for a while; but about a week after a half-grown"cub" was shot near the camp by Hendrik, no doubt the last of thatfamily, as no lions were seen for a long time after. 

A great enemy to night-plunderers was that same gun-trap. 

CHAPTER FORTY THREE. 

THE WEAVER-BIRDS. 

Now that the beasts of prey had been destroyed, or driven from about thecamp, there was no longer any danger in that quarter, and the childrencould be left by themselves. Totty of course always stayed with them;while the four hunters went forth upon the chase of the elephant--eachmounted upon his quagga. 

They had done so many a time, and as no harm had happened to thechildren in their absence, such a course became habitual with them. Janand Truey were cautioned not to stray far from the nwana, and always toclimb to the tree, should they perceive any animal that might bedangerous. Before the destruction of the hyenas and lions, they hadbeen used to remain altogether in the tree, while the hunters wereabsent. But this had been quite an imprisonment to them; and now thatthe danger was not considered much, they were allowed to come down andplay upon the grassy plain, or wander along the shore of the littlelake. 

On one occasion when the hunters were abroad, Truey had strayed down tothe edge of the water. She was alone, if we except the company of thegazelle, which followed at her heels wherever she went. This prettycreature had grown to full size, and had turned out a great beauty, withlarge round eyes that had a lovely melting expression, like the eyes ofTruey herself. 

Well, as I have said, Truey was alone. Jan was busy near the bottom ofthe tree, working a new rod into his bird-cage, and Totty was out uponthe plain herding "old Graaf"--so Truey and the pet springbok wentstrolling along by themselves. 

Now Truey had not gone down to the water without an object. She hadone. She had gone to give her pet a drink, and collect some blue liliesfor a bouquet. All this she had done, and still continued to walk alongthe shore. 

On one side of the lake, and that the farthest from the nwana-tree, alow spit of land projected into the water. It had once been but asand-bar, but grass had grown upon it, until a green turf was formed. There was not over a square perch of it altogether, but it was notsquare in shape. On the contrary, it was of oval form, and muchnarrower nearest the land, where it formed a neck, or isthmus, not morethan three feet in width. It was, in short, a miniature peninsula, which by a very little work with the spade could have been convertedinto a miniature island--had that been desired. 

Now there is nothing very remarkable about a little peninsula projectinginto a lake. In nearly every lake such a thing may be seen. But aboutthis one there was something remarkable. 

Upon its extreme end grew a tree of singular form and foliage. It wasnot a large tree, and its branches drooped downwards until their tipsalmost touched the water. The pendulous boughs, and long lanceolatesilvery leaves, rendered it easy to tell what sort of tree it was. Itwas the weeping or _Babylonian_ willow--so-called, because it was upontrees of this species that the captive Jews hung their harps when they"sat and wept by the streams of Babel. " This beautiful tree casts itswaving shadow over the streams of South Africa, as well as those ofAssyria; and often is the eye of the traveller gladdened by the sight ofits silvery leaves, as he beholds them, --sure indications of water--shining afar over the parched and thirsty desert. If a Christian, hefails not to remember that highly poetical passage of sacred writing, that speaks of the willow of Babylon. 

Now the one which grew upon the little peninsula had all these points ofinterest for little Truey--but it had others as well. Upon its branchesthat overhung the water a very singular appearance presented itself. Upon these was suspended--one upon the end of each branch--a number ofodd-shaped objects, that hung drooping down until their lower endsnearly rested upon the surface of the water. These objects, as stated, were of a peculiar shape. At the upper ends--where they were attachedto the branches--they were globe-shaped, but the lower part consisted ofa long cylinder of much smaller diameter, and at the bottom of thiscylinder was the entrance. They bore some resemblance to salad-oilbottles inverted, with their necks considerably lengthened; or theymight be compared to the glass retorts seen in the laboratory of thechemist. 

They were each twelve or fifteen inches in length, and of a greenishcolour--nearly as green as the leaves of the tree itself. Were they itsfruit?

No. The weeping-willow bears no fruit of that size. They were notfruit. They were _nests of birds_!

Yes; they were the nests of a colony of harmless finches of the genus_Ploceus_, --better known to you under the appellation of "weaver-birds. "

I am sure you have heard of weaver-birds before this; and you know thatthese creatures are so-called on account of the skill which they exhibitin the construction of their nests. They do not _build_ nests, as otherbirds, but actually _weave_ them, in a most ingenious manner. 

You are not to suppose that there is but one species of weaver-bird--onekind alone that forms these curious nests. In Africa--which is theprincipal home of these birds--there are many different kinds, formingdifferent genera, whose hard names I shall not trouble you with. Eachof these different kinds builds a nest of peculiar shape, and eachchooses a material different from the others. Some, as the _Ploceusicterocephalus_, make their nests of a kidney-shape, with the entranceupon the sides, and the latter not circular, but like an arched doorway. Others of the genus _Plocepasser_ weave their nests in such a manner, that the thick ends of the stalks stick out all around the outside, giving them the appearance of suspended hedgehogs; while the birds ofanother genus closely allied to the latter, construct their nests ofslender twigs, leaving the ends of these to project in a similar manner. The "social gros-beak" (_Loxia socia_) fabricates a republic of nestsin one clump, and all under one roof. The entrances are in theunder-surface of this mass, which, occupying the whole top of a tree, has the appearance of a haystack, or a dense piece of thatch. 

All these weaver-birds, though of different genera, bear a considerableresemblance to each other in their habits. They are usually_granivorous_, though some are _insectivorous_; and one species, thered-billed weaver-bird, (_Textor erythrorhynchus_), is a parasite of thewild buffaloes. 

It is a mistake to suppose that weaver-birds are only found in Africaand the Old World, as stated in the works of many naturalists. Intropical America, birds of this character are found in many species ofthe genera _Cassicus_ and _Icterus_, who weave pensile nests of asimilar kind upon the trees of the Amazon and Orinoco. But the trueweaver-birds--that is to say, those which are considered the _type_ ofthe class, --are those of the genus _Ploceus_; and it was a species ofthis genus that had hung their pendulous habitations upon theweeping-willow. They were of the species known as the "pensileweaver-bird" (_Ploceus pensilis_). 

There were full twenty of their nests in all, shaped as alreadydescribed, and of green colour--for the tough "Bushman's grass, " out ofwhich they had been woven, had not yet lost its verdant hue, nor wouldit for a long time. Being of this colour, they actually looked likesomething that grew upon the tree, --like great pear-shaped fruits. Nodoubt from this source have been derived the tales of ancienttravellers, who represented that in Africa were trees with fruits uponthem, which, upon being broken open, disclosed to view either livingbirds or their eggs!

Now the sight of the weaver-birds, and their nests, was nothing new toTruey. It was some time since the colony had established itself uponthe willow-tree, and she and they had grown well acquainted. She hadoften visited the birds, had collected seeds, and carried them down tothe tree; and there was not one of the whole colony that would not haveperched upon her wrist or her pretty white shoulders, or hopped aboutover her fair locks, without fear. It was nothing unusual to her to seethe pretty creatures playing about the branches, or entering the longvertical tunnels that led upward to their nests--nothing unusual forTruey to listen for hours to their sweet twittering, or watch theirlove-gambols around the borders of the vley. 

She was not thinking of them at the moment, but of something else, perhaps of the blue water-lilies--perhaps of the springbok--butcertainly not of them, as she tripped gaily along the edge of the lake. 

Her attention, however, was suddenly attracted to the birds. 

All at once, and without any apparent cause, they commenced screamingand fluttering around the tree, their cries and gestures betokening ahigh state of excitement or alarm. 

CHAPTER FORTY FOUR. 

THE SPITTING-SNAKE. 

"What can be the matter with my pretty birds?" asked Truey of herself. "Something wrong surely! I see no hawk. Perhaps they are fightingamong themselves. I shall go round and see. I shall soon pacify them. "

And so saying she mended her pace; and passing round the end of thelake, walked out upon the peninsula until she stood under the willow. 

There was no underwood. The tree stood alone upon the very end of thespit of land, and Truey went close in to its trunk. Here she stoppedand looked up among the branches, to ascertain what was causing so muchexcitement among the birds. 

As she approached, several of the little creatures had flown towardsher, and alighted upon her arms and shoulders; but not as was their wontwhen desiring to be fed. They appeared to be in a state of alarm, andhad come to her for protection. 

Some enemy certainly must be near, thought Truey, though she could seenone. 

She looked around and above. There were no hawks in the air, nor on theneighbouring trees, --no birds of prey of any kind. Had there been onein the willow, she could easily have seen it, as the foliage was lightand thin; besides a hawk would not have remained in the tree with herstanding so near. What, then, caused the trouble among the birds? whatwas still causing it--for they were as noisy and terrified as ever? Ha!At last the enemy appears--at last Truey's eyes have fallen upon themonster who has disturbed the peaceful colony of weavers, and rousedthem to such a pitch of excitement. 

Slowly gliding along a horizontal branch, grasping the limb in its manyspiral folds, appeared the body of a large serpent. Its scalesglittered as it moved, and it was the shining of these that had caughtTruey's eyes, and directed them upon the hideous reptile. 

When she first saw it, it was gliding spirally along one of thehorizontal branches of the willow, and coming, as it were, _from_ thenests of the birds. Her eyes, however, had scarce rested upon it, before its long slippery body passed from the branch, and the nextmoment it was crawling head-foremost down the main trunk of the tree. 

Truey had scarce time to start back, before its head was opposite thespot where she had stood. No doubt, had she kept her place she wouldhave been bitten by the serpent at once; for the reptile, on reachingthat point, detached its head from the tree, spread its jaws wide open, projected its forked tongue, and hissed horribly. It was evidentlyenraged--partly because it had failed in its plundering intentions, nothaving been able to reach the nests of the birds, --and partly that thelatter had repeatedly struck it with their beaks--no doubt causing itconsiderable pain. It was further provoked by the arrival of Truey, inwhom it recognised the rescuer of its intended victims. 

Whatever were its thoughts at that moment, it was evidently in a rage--as the motion of its head and the flashing of its eyes testified; and itwould have sprung upon any creature that had unfortunately come in itsway. 

Truey, however, had no intention of getting in its way if she couldavoid it. It might be a harmless serpent for all she knew; but a snake, nearly six feet in length, whether it be harmless or venomous, is aterrible object to be near; and Truey had instinctively glided to oneside, and stood off from it as far as the water would allow her. 

She would have run back over the narrow isthmus; but something told herthat the snake was about to take that direction, and might overtake her;and this thought induced her to pass to one side of the peninsula, inhopes the reptile would follow the path that led out to the mainland. 

Having got close to the water's edge, she stood gazing upon the hideousform, and trembled as she gazed. 

Had Truey known the character of that reptile, she would have trembledall the more. She saw before her one of the most venomous of serpents, the black naja, or "spitting-snake"--the cobra of Africa--far moredangerous than its congener the _cobra de capello_ of India, because farmore active in its movements, and equally fatal in its bite. 

Truey knew not this. She only knew that there was a great ugly snake, nearly twice her own length, with a large open mouth and glisteningtongue, apparently ready to eat her up. That was fearful enough forher, poor thing! and she gazed and trembled, and trembled and gazedagain. 

Angry as the cobra appeared, it did not turn aside to attack her. Neither did it remain by the tree. After uttering its long loud hiss, it descended to the ground, and glided rapidly off. 

It made directly for the isthmus, as if intending to pass it, andretreat to some bushes that grew at a distance off on the mainland. 

Truey was in hopes that such was its design, and was just beginning tofeel safe again, when, all at once, the snake coiled itself upon thenarrow neck of land, as if it intended to stay there. 

It had executed this manoeuvre so suddenly, and so apparently withoutpremeditation, that Truey looked to discover the cause. The momentbefore, it was gliding along in rapid retreat, its glistening formstretched to its full length along the earth. The next instant it hadassumed the appearance of a coiled cable, over the edge of whichprojected its fierce head, with the scaly skin of its neck broadlyextended, into that hood-like form which characterises the cobra. 

Truey, we have said, looked for the cause of this sudden change in thetactics of the reptile. She learnt it at the first glance. 

There stretched a piece of smooth sloping ground from the edge of thelake back into the plain. By this the little peninsula was approached. As she glanced outward, she saw the springbok advancing down this slope. It was the approach of the antelope that had interrupted the retreat ofthe serpent!

Truey, on first discovering the snake, had uttered a cry of alarm. Thiscry had summoned her pet--that had lingered behind browsing upon thegrass--and it was now bounding forward, with its white tail erect, andits large brown eyes glistening with an expression of inquiry. 

It saw its mistress out upon the peninsula. Had she called it? Why hadshe uttered that strange cry? They were not sounds of joyful import ithad heard. Was anything amiss? Yonder she stood. It would gallop toher and see what was wanted; and with such thoughts passing through itsbrain, the bright little creature bounded down the bank towards the edgeof the lake. 

Truey trembled for her pet. Another spring, and it would be upon thelurking serpent--another-- "Ha! it is safe!"

These words escaped from the lips of the young girl, as she saw thespringbok rise high into the air, and leap far and clear over the coiledreptile. The antelope had observed the snake in time, and saved itselfby one of those tremendous bounds, such as only a springbok can make. The fond creature, having passed the danger, now ran on to its mistress, and stood with its big shining eyes bent upon her inquiringly. 

But the cry that Truey had uttered had summoned another individual. Toher horror, she now saw little Jan running down the slope, and comingdirectly upon the path where the cobra lay coiled!

CHAPTER FORTY FIVE. 

THE SERPENT-EATER. 

Jan's danger was imminent. He was rushing impetuously forward upon thecoiled serpent. He knew not that it was before him. No warning wouldreach him in time to stay his haste. In another moment he would be onthe narrow path, and then no power could save him from the deadly bite. It would be impossible for him to leap aside or over the reptile, as theantelope had done; for even then Truey had noticed that the cobra haddarted its long neck several feet upwards. It would be certain to reachlittle Jan, perhaps, coil itself around him. Jan would be lost!

For some moments Truey was speechless. Terror had robbed her of thepower of speech. She could only scream, and fling her arms wildlyabout. 

But these demonstrations, instead of warning Jan of the danger, onlyrendered it the more certain. He connected the cries which Truey nowuttered with that which had first summoned him. She was in sometrouble--he knew not what; but as she continued to scream, he believedthat something had attacked her. A snake he thought it might be; butwhatever it was, his first impulse was to hurry up to her rescue. Hecould do no good until close to her; and, therefore, he did not think ofhalting until he should reach the spot where she stood. 

Her screams, therefore, and the wild gestures that accompanied them, only caused him to run the faster; and as his eyes were bent anxiouslyon Truey, there was not the slightest hope that he would perceive theserpent until he had either trodden upon it, or felt its fatal bite. 

Truey uttered one last cry of warning, pronouncing at the same time thewords:--

"O, brother! back! The snake! the snake!"

The words were uttered in vain. Jan heard them, but did not comprehendtheir meaning. He heard the word "snake. " He was expecting as much; ithad attacked Truey; and although he did not see it, it was no doubtwound about her body. He hurried on. 

Already he was within six paces of the dread reptile, that had erectedits long spread neck to receive him. Another moment, and its envenomedfangs would pierce deep into his flesh. 

With a despairing scream Truey rushed forward. She hoped to attract themonster upon herself. She would risk her own life to save that of herbrother!

She had got within six feet of the threatening reptile. Jan was aboutthe same distance from it on the opposite side. They were equally inperil; and one or the other--perhaps both--would have fallen a sacrificeto the deadly cobra; but at that moment their saviour was nigh. A darkshadow passed under their eyes--in their ears was a rushing sound likethe "whish" of a falling body--and at the same instant a large birddarted down between them!

It did not stay to alight. For a moment its strong broad wings agitatedthe air in their faces; but the next moment the bird made a suddeneffort, and rose vertically upwards. 

Truey's eyes fell upon the ground. The cobra was no longer there. 

With an exclamation of joy she sprang forward, and, throwing her armsaround Jan, cried out, --

"We are saved, brother!--we are saved!"

Jan was somewhat bewildered. As yet he had seen no snake. He had seenthe bird dart down between them; but so adroitly had it seized the cobraand carried it off, that Jan, looking only at Truey, had not perceivedthe serpent in its beak. He was bewildered and terrified, for he stillfancied that Truey was in danger. 

When he heard her exclaim, "We are saved!" he was bewildered all themore. 

"But the snake!" he cried out. "Where is the snake?"

As he put these questions, he kept examining Truey from head to foot, asif expecting to see a reptile twined around some part of her body. 

"The snake, Jan! Did you not see it? It was just there, at our feet;but now--see! yonder it is. The _secretary_ has got it. See! They arefighting! Good bird! I hope it will punish the villain for trying torob my pretty weavers. That's it, good bird! Give it to him! See, Jan! What a fight!"

"Oh, ah!" said Jan, now comprehending the situation. "Oh, ah! Sureyonder _is_ a snake, and a whopper, too. Ne'er fear, Truey! Trust mysecretary. He'll give the rascal a taste of his claws. There's a lickwell put in! Another touch like that, and there won't be much life leftin the scaly villain. There again, --wop!"

With these and similar exclamations the two children stood watching thefierce conflict that raged between the bird and the reptile. 

Now this bird was a very peculiar one--so much so, that in all the worldthere is no other of the same kind. In form it resembled a crane, having very long legs, and being about the height and size of a crane. Its head and beak, however, were more like those of an eagle or vulture. It had well-developed wings, armed with spurs, and a very long tail, with the two middle feathers longer than the rest. Its general colourwas bluish grey, with a white throat and breast, and a reddish tingeupon the wing-feathers. But, perhaps, the most remarkable thing aboutthe bird was its "crest. " This consisted of a number of long, blackishplumes growing out of its occiput, and extending down the back of itsneck nearly to the shoulders. These gave the bird a very peculiarappearance; and the fancied resemblance to a secretary of the olden timewith his long quill behind his ear--before steel pens came intofashion--is the reason why the bird has received the very inappropriatename of the "Secretary-bird. "

It is more properly named the "serpent-eater, " and naturalists havegiven it the title _Gypogeranus_, or "crane-vulture. " It is sometimesalso called "the messenger, " from the staid solemn manner of its walk, as it stalks over the plain. 

Of all its names that of "serpent-eater" is the best adapted to thecharacter of the bird. It is true there are other birds that kill andeat serpents, --as the "guaco" bird of South America, and many hawks andkites, --but the secretary is the only winged creature that makesreptiles of this class exclusively its prey, and carries on a constantwar against them. It is not strictly correct to say that it feedsexclusively upon snakes. It will also eat lizards, tortoises, and evenlocusts; but snakes are certainly its favourite food, and to obtainthese it risks its life in many a deadly encounter with those of a verylarge kind. The serpent-eater is an African bird, and is not peculiarto South Africa alone, as it is found in the Gambia country. It is alsoa native of the Philippine Isles. There is some doubt whether thespecies of the Philippine Isles is identical with that of Africa. Adifference is noted in the plumage, though very slight. The dispositionof the crest-plumes differs in the two, and the tail-feathers aredifferently arranged. In the African species the two middle ones arethe longest, while in the serpent-eater of the Philippines it is the twooutside feathers that project--giving the bird the appearance of havinga "fork" or "swallow" tail. Some points of distinction have also beenobserved between the South African bird and that of the Gambia. 

The serpent-eater is, however, a very unique bird; and naturalists, failing to class it with either hawks, eagles, vultures, gallinae, orcranes, have elevated it, so as to form a distinct tribe, family, genus, and species, of itself. 

In South Africa it frequents the great plains and dry karoos, stalkingabout in search of its prey. It is not gregarious, but lives solitaryor in pairs, making its nest in trees, --usually those of a thick thornyspecies, --which renders the nest most difficult of approach. The wholeedifice is about three feet in diameter, and resembles the nests of thetree-building eagles. It is usually lined with feathers and down, andtwo or three eggs are the number deposited for a single hatching. 

The serpent-eater is an excellent runner, and spends more time on footthan on the wing. It is a shy wary bird, yet, notwithstanding, it ismost easily domesticated; and it is not uncommon to see them about thehouses of the Cape farmers, where they are kept as pets, on account oftheir usefulness in destroying snakes, lizards, and other vermin. Theyhave been long ago introduced into the French West India Islands, andnaturalised there--in order that they should make war upon the dangerous"yellow serpent" (_Trigonocephalus lanceolatus_), the plague of theplantations in those parts. 

Now the bird which had so opportunely appeared between Jan and Truey, and had no doubt saved one or the other, or both, from the deadly biteof the _spuugh-slang_, was a serpent-eater, --one that had been tamed, and that made its home among the branches of the great nwana-tree. Thehunters had found it upon the plain, wounded by some animal, --perhaps avery large snake, --and had brought it home as a curiosity. In time itquite recovered from its wounds; but the kindness it had received, during the period when it was an invalid, was not thrown away upon it. When it recovered the use of its wings, it refused to leave the societyof its protectors, but remained habitually in the camp--although it madefrequent excursions into the surrounding plains in search of itsfavourite food. It always, however, returned at night, and roostedamong the branches of the great nwana-tree. Of course it was Jan's pet, and Jan was very good to it; but it now repaid all his kindness insaving him from the fangs of the deadly cobra. 

The children, having recovered from their alarm, stood watching thesingular conflict between serpent and serpent-eater. 

On first seizing the reptile the bird had caught it by the neck in itsbeak. It might not have accomplished this so readily, had not theattention of the snake been occupied by the children, thus throwing itoff its guard. 

Having succeeded in seizing the reptile, the bird rose nearly in avertical direction to a height of many yards, and then opening his beakpermitted the serpent to fall to the ground. His object was to stun thelatter by the fall; and the more effectually to do this, he would havecarried the cobra still higher, had not the latter prevented it byattempting to coil itself around his wings. 

Upon letting fall his prey the serpent-eater did not remain in the air. On the contrary, he darted after the falling reptile, and the moment thelatter touched the ground, and before it could put itself in an attitudeof defence, the bird "pounced" upon it with spread foot, striking it aviolent blow near the neck. The snake was still but slightly damaged, and throwing itself into a coil stood upon its defence. Its mouth wasopened to its widest extent, its tongue protruded, its fangs were erect, and its eyes flashing with rage and poison. A terrible antagonist itappeared, and for a moment the secretary seemed to think so, as he stoodon the ground confronting it. 

But the bird soon began to advance upon it for a renewal of the attack, though this advance was made in a cautious manner. With the pinions ofone of his strong wings spread broadly out for a shield, he approachedthe reptile sideways, and, when near enough, suddenly wheeled, turningupon his leg as on a pivot, and struck sharply out with his other wing. The blow was delivered with good effect. It reached the head of thesnake, and seemed to stun it. Its neck drooped, and the coils becameloosened. Before it could recover itself it was once more in the beakof the serpent-eater, and trailing through the air. 

This time the bird rose to a much greater height than before--as he wasnot hampered by the writhing of the serpent--and as before suffered thereptile to fall, and then darted suddenly after. 

When the snake came to the ground a second time it lay for a momentstretched at full length, as if stunned or dead. It was not dead, however, and would once more have coiled itself; but, before it could doso, the bird had repeatedly "pounced" upon its neck with his spread andhorny feet; and at length, watching his opportunity when the head of theserpent lay flat, he struck a blow with his sharp beak so violent, thatit split the skull of the reptile in twain! Life was now extinct, andthe hideous form, extended to its full length, lay lithe and motionlessupon the grass. 

Jan and Truey clapped their hands, and uttered exclamations of joy. 

The serpent-eater took no heed of their demonstrations, but, approachingthe dead cobra, bent over it, and coolly set about making his dinner. 

CHAPTER FORTY SIX. 

TOTTY AND THE CHACMAS. 

Von Bloom and his family had now been months without bread. They werenot without a substitute, however, as various roots and nuts suppliedthem with a change of food. Of the latter, they had the ground orpig-nut (_Arachis hypogea_), which grows in all parts of SouthernAfrica, and which forms a staple food of the native inhabitants. Forvegetables they had the bulbs of many species of _Ixias_ and_Mesembryanthemums_, among others the "Hottentot fig" (_Mesembryanthemumedule_). They had the "Caffir bread"--the inside pith of the stems of aspecies of _Zamia_; and the "Caffir chestnut, " the fruit of the_Brabeium stellatum_; and last, not least, the enormous roots of the"elephant's foot" (_Testudinaria elephantipes_). They had wild onionsand garlic too; and in the white flower-tops of a beautiful floatingplant (_Aponogeton distachys_), they found a substitute for asparagus. 

All these roots and fruits were to be obtained in the neighbourhood, andno man knew better how to find them, and "crow" them up when found, thandid Swartboy the Bushman. Well might he, for in Swartboy's early dayshe had often been compelled to subsist for weeks, and even months, onroots alone!

But although they could procure a constant supply of these naturalproductions, they considered them but a poor substitute for bread; andall of them longed to eat once more what is usually termed the "staff oflife"--though in South Africa, where so many people live exclusivelyupon the flesh of animals, bread is hardly entitled to that appellation. 

Bread they were likely to have, and soon. When trekking from the oldkraal, they had brought with them a small bag of maize. It was the lastof their previous year's stock; and there was not in all over a bushelof it. But that was enough for seed, and would produce many bushels ifproperly planted, and carefully tended. 

This had been done shortly after their arrival at their present home. Afertile spot of ground had been selected, only a few hundred yards fromthe nwana-tree. It had been turned up with the spade, for want of aplough, and the seeds planted at proper distances. 

Many an hour had been given to the weeding and hoeing of it, and aroundevery plant a little hill of soft mould had been raised, to nourish theroots, and protect them from the heat of the sun. The plants were evenwatered now and then. 

Partly on account of this attention, and partly from the richness of thevirgin soil, a splendid growth was the result; and the stalks stood fulltwelve feet high, with ears nearly a foot long. They had almostripened; and the field-cornet intended in about a week or ten days togather in the crop. 

Both he and all his people were anticipating pleasant feasts ofmaize-bread, and "hominy, " with "mash and milk" and various otherdishes, that with Totty's skill could be manufactured out of the Indiancorn. 

About this time an incident occurred that nearly deprived them, not onlyof their whole plot of maize-plants, but also of their valuablehousekeeper, Totty. It was as follows. 

Totty was on the platform in the great nwana-tree, which commanded aview of the corn-patch, and also of the plain beyond, as far as thebottom of the cliffs. She was busied about "house" affairs, when herattention was called off, by some singular noises that came from thatdirection. She parted the branches and looked through. A singularscene was before her eyes--a spectacle of no common kind. 

A body of odd-looking animals, to the number of two hundred or more, wascoming from the direction of the cliffs. They were creatures ofungainly forms--in make and size not unlike large ill-shaped dogs--andof a greenish brown colour. Their faces and ears only were black, andthese were naked, while their bodies were covered with harsh coarsehair. They had long tails, which some of them carried high in the air, and flourished about in a very eccentric manner. 

Totty was by no means alarmed. She knew what sort of animals they were. She knew they were _baboons_. They were of the species known as the"pig-faced" baboon or "chacma" (_Cynocephalus porcarius_), which isfound in nearly every part of South Africa where there are high cliffswith caves and crevices--the favourite dwelling-places of the baboon. 

Of all the monkey tribe the baboons, or dog-headed monkeys(_cynocephali_), are the most disgusting in form and features. Who doesnot feel disgust when regarding the hideous mandrill--the drill--thehamadryas--or even the chacma? And all these are baboons. 

The baboons are peculiar to Africa, and there are six well-known speciesof them:--the common baboon of North Africa, the "papion" of the southand western coast, the "hamadryas" or "tartarin" of Abyssinia, the"mandrill" and "drill" of Guinea, and the "chacma" of the Cape colony. 

The habits of these animals are as disgusting as their appearance. Theymay be tamed, and made "pets" of; but dangerous pets they are, as theywill, upon the slightest provocation, bite the hand that feeds them. 

Their great strength of body and jaw, and their long canine teeth, givethem a dangerous power which they often make use of. No dog is a matchfor one, and the hyena and leopard often come off second-best in anencounter with a baboon. 

They are not carnivorous, however, and only tear their enemy to pieceswithout eating it. Their food consists of fruits and bulbous roots, which they well understand to dig out of the ground with the sharp nailsof their hands. 

Although they will not attack man if left alone, they become dangerousassailants when hunted and brought to bay. 

Many odd stories are told of the chacma baboon among the settlers ofSouthern Africa, such as their robbing the traveller of his food, andthen going off to some distance, and mocking him, while they devour it. The natives also say that they sometimes use a stick in walking, "crowing" for roots, and in self-defence. Also, when a young one hassucceeded in finding a choice root, and is observed by an older andstronger one, that the latter takes it away: but, should the young onehave already swallowed it, then the bully picks him up, turns him headdownward, and shakes him until he is forced to "disgorge!" Many suchtales are current in the country of the boors, and they are not allwithout foundation, for these animals most certainly possess the powerof _reflection_ in a high degree. 

Totty from her perch saw enough to convince her of this, had she beenherself inclined to philosophise. But she was not. She was only alittle curious about the manoeuvres of the animals, and she called Trueyand little Jan up into the tree, in order that they might share thespectacle with her. All the others were off hunting. 

Jan was delighted, and ran up the ladder at once. So did Truey, and allthree stood watching the odd movements of the four-handed creatures. 

They perceived that the troop was actually marching in order; not _inline_, but with some understood arrangement. There were scouts upon thewings, and leaders in front. These were baboons of greater age and sizethan the others. There were calls and signals, and the change of accentand tone would have convinced any one that a regular conversation wasgoing on. The females and younger ones marched in the middle for bettersecurity. The mothers carried their infants upon their backs, or overtheir shoulders. Now a mother would stop to suckle her littleoffspring--dressing its hair at the same time--and then gallop forwardto make up for the loss. Now one would be seen beating her child, thathad in some way given offence. Now two young females would quarrel, from jealousy or some other cause, and then a terrible chattering wouldensue, to be silenced by the loud threatening bark of one of the chiefs!

Thus proceeded they across the plain, chattering, and screaming, andbarking, as only monkeys can. 

What were they after?

That question was answered very soon. Truey, and Jan, and Totty, saw, to their dismay, that the baboons were not out upon an idle errand. They were after the maize-plants!

In a few minutes most of the troop had entered the corn-field, and werehidden from view by the tall stems and broad leaves of the plants. Afew only could be seen, --large old fellows, that stationed themselvesoutside as sentinels, and were keeping up a constant interchange ofsignals. The main body was already stripping the plants of theirprecious fruit. 

But a singular appearance presented itself beyond the corn-field, wherea line of baboons, stationed at equal distance from one another, extended away to the very bottom of the cliff. These had been left by aregular manoeuvre, --a deployment--as the troop traversed the plain incoming to the field. For what purpose?

That was soon apparent. In less than two minutes after the crowddisappeared under the shelter of the maize-plants, the long heads intheir husks were seen showering out towards the line, as if flung by thehand of man! Those placed at the near end of the line immediately tookthem up, pitched them to the next, and these to the next, and so on, until, in a very short while from the time a head was plucked from thestalk, it was delivered to the storehouse of the baboons far off amongthe cliffs!

Had this work gone on much longer the field-cornet would have had but apoor gathering in harvest-time. The baboons thought the corn ripeenough, and would soon have made a crop of it, but at this moment theiroperations were interrupted. 

Totty knew but little of the danger she underwent, when she ran forthwith nothing but that long broom-handle to drive off a troop of chacmas. She only thought of the loss her kind master was sustaining; and downthe ladder she hurried, and ran straight out to the corn-field. 

Several sentinels met her by its edge, grinned, chattered, screamed, barked, and showed their long canine teeth; but they only received ablow over their ugly snouts from the broom-handle. Their cries summonedthe others; and in a few moments the poor Hottentot was standing in themidst of an angry circle of chacmas, that were only prevented fromspringing in upon her by the expert manner in which she continued to plythe broomstick. 

But this slight weapon would not have served much longer, and Totty'sfate--that of being torn to pieces--would soon have been sealed, had notfour horsemen, or rather "quagga-men, " at that moment galloped up to herrescue. 

These were the hunters returning from the chase; and a volley from theirguns at once scattered the ugly chacmas, and sent them howling back totheir caves. 

After that the field-cornet looked well to his maize, until it was readyfor gathering; when it was all brought home, and deposited in safety outof the reach of either birds, reptiles, quadrupeds or _quadrumuna_. 

CHAPTER FORTY SEVEN. 

THE WILD HOUNDS AND THE HARTEBEEST. 

Since the taming of the quaggas the hunting had been attended withtolerable success. Not a week passed without adding a pair of tusks--sometimes two or three pairs--to the collection, which now began toassume the form of a little pyramid of ivory standing near the bottom ofthe nwana. 

Von Bloom, however, was not quite satisfied with his progress. Hethought they might do far better if they only had a few dogs. 

Though the quaggas were of great service to them, and with these theywere often able to overtake the elephant, yet they as often lost theirgreat game, and it is more easy to do so than most persons imagine. 

But with dogs to join in the hunt, the result would be quite different. It is true these animals cannot pull down an elephant, nor do him theslightest injury; but they can follow him whithersoever he may go, andby their barking bring him to a stand. 

Another valuable service which the dogs perform, is in drawing theattention of the elephant away from the hunters. The huge quadrupedwhen enraged is, as we have already seen, exceedingly dangerous. Onsuch occasions he will charge upon the noisy dogs, mistaking them forhis real assailants. This, of course, gives the hunter a goodopportunity of delivering his fire, and avoiding the deadly encounter ofthe elephant. 

Now in several elephant-hunts which they had lately made, our huntershad run some very narrow risks. Their quaggas were neither somanageable nor so quick in their movements as horses would have been, and this rendered the hazard still greater. Some of them might one dayfall a victim. So feared Von Bloom; and he would gladly have given fora number of dogs an elephant's tusk a-piece--even though they were themost worthless of curs. Indeed, their quality is but of slightimportance. Any dogs that can trace the elephant and pester him withtheir barring would do. 

Von Bloom even thought of taming some hyenas, and training _them_ to thehunt. This idea was by no means quixotic. The hyena is often used forsuch a purpose, and performs even better than many kinds of dogs. 

One day Von Bloom was pondering over this subject. He was seated on alittle platform that had been constructed very high up--near the top ofthe nwana-tree--from which a view could be had of the whole countryaround. It was a favourite resort of the field-cornet--hissmoking-room, in fact--where he went every evening to enjoy a quiet pullout of his great meerschaum. His face was turned upon the plain thatstretched from the border of the _bosch_ as far as the eye could reach. 

While quietly puffing away, his attention was attracted by some animalsstanding at a distance off upon the plain. The brilliant colour oftheir bodies had caught his eye. 

They were of a lively sienna colour over the back and sides, and whiteunderneath, with a list of black upon the outside of the legs, and someblack stripes upon the face, as regularly defined as if laid on by thebrush of a painter. They had horns of very irregular shape, roughlyknotted--each curved into something of the shape of a reaping-hook, andrising directly from the top of one of the straightest and longest headsever carried by an animal. These animals were far from being gracefullyformed. They had drooping hind-quarters like the giraffe, though in amuch less degree, shoulders greatly elevated, and long narrow heads. For the rest their forms were bony and angular. Each stood five feethigh, from the fore-hoof to the shoulder, and full nine feet in length. 

They were antelopes of course--that species known among Cape colonistsas the "hartebeest" (_Acronotus caama_). There were in all about fiftyof them in the herd. 

When first observed by Von Bloom, they were quietly browsing upon theplain. The next moment, however, they were seen to run to and fro, asif suddenly alarmed by the approach of an enemy. 

And an enemy there certainly was; for in a moment more the herd hadtaken to flight; and Von Bloom now saw that they were followed by a_pack of hounds_! I say a "pack of hounds, " for the creatures in thedistance exactly resembled hounds more than anything in the world. Nay, more than resembled, for it actually _was_ a pack of hounds--of _wildhounds_!

Of course Von Bloom knew what they were. He knew they were the"wilde-honden, " very absurdly named by sapient naturalists "_Hyenavenatica_, " or "hunting hyena, " and by others, with equal absurdity, the"hunting dog. " I pronounce these names "absurd, " first because theanimal in question bears no more resemblance to a hyena than it does toa hedgehog; and, secondly, because "hunting dog" is a very ridiculousappellation, since any dog may merit a similar title. 

Now I would ask, why could these naturalists not let the nomenclature ofthe boors alone? If a better name than "wilde-honden" (wild hounds) canbe given to these animals, I should like to hear it. Why, it is thevery perfection of a name, and exactly expresses the character of theanimal to which they apply it--that character, which coming under theireveryday observation, suggested the name. 

It is quite a libel to call this beautiful creature a hyena. He hasneither the ugly form, the harsh pelage, the dull colour, nor the filthyhabits of one. Call him a "wolf, " or "wild dog, " if you please, but heis at the same time the handsomest wolf or wild dog in creation. But weshall name him, as the boors have done, a "wild hound. " That is histrue title, let naturalists class him as they may. 

His size, shape, his smooth clean coat, as well as his colour, approximate him more to the hound than to any other animal. In thelast--which is a ground of "tan" blotched and mottled with large spotsof black and grey--he bears a striking resemblance to the common hound;and the superior size of his ears would seem to assimilate him stillmore to this animal. The ears however, as in all the wild species of_Canis_, are of course not hanging, but erect. 

His habits, however, crown the resemblance. In his natural state thewild hound never prowls alone; but boldly runs down his game, followingit in large organised packs, just as hounds do; and in his hunting heexhibits as much skill as if he had Tom Moody riding at his heels, toguide with whip and horn. 

It was the field-cornet's good fortune to witness an exhibition of thisskill. 

The hounds had come unexpectedly upon the hartebeest herd; and almost atthe first dash, one of the antelopes became separated from the rest, andran in an opposite direction. This was just what the cunning dogswanted; and the whole pack, instead of following the herd, turned afterthe single one, and ran "tail on end. "

Now this hartebeest, although an ill-shaped antelope, is one of the veryswiftest of the tribe; and the wild hound does not capture it without asevere chase. In fact, he could not capture it at all, if speed werethe only point between the two animals. But it is not. The hartebeesthas a weakness in its character, opposite to which the wild houndpossesses a cunning. 

The former when chased, although it runs in a straight line, does notkeep long in a direct course. Now and then it diverges to one side orthe other, led perhaps by the form of the ground, or some othercircumstance. In this habit lies its weakness. The wild hound is wellaware of it, and takes advantage of it by a manoeuvre, which certainlysavours strongly of reflection on his part. 

Our field-cornet had a proof of this as he watched the chase. Hiselevated position gave him a view of the whole ground, and he could noteevery movement both of pursuer and pursued. 

On breaking off, the hartebeest ran in a right line, and the houndsfollowed straight after. They had not gone far, however, when Von Bloomperceived that one hound was forging ahead of the rest, and running muchfaster than any of them. He might have been a swifter dog than theothers, but the hunter did not think it was that. He appeared rather tobe running harder than they, as if sent forward to _push_ thehartebeest, while the rest saved their wind. 

This proved to be really the case; for the dog, by a desperate effort, having gained upon the antelope, caused the latter to turn slightly fromits original course; and the pack, perceiving this, changed theirdirection at the same time, and held along a diagonal line, as if tohead the game. By this means they avoided the detour which both theantelope and their companion had made. 

The hartebeest was now running upon a new line; and as before, one ofthe hounds was soon seen to head the pack, and press forward at the topof his speed. The one that first led, as soon as the antelope turnedfrom its original course, fell back, rejoined the pack, and was nowlagging among the hindmost! His "turn" of duty was over. 

Again the hartebeest verged from its course. Again the pack ranobliquely, and made a second "cut" upon him--again a fresh dog took thelead, and on swept the chase as before--the wild hounds uttering theiryelping notes as they ran. 

Several times was this manoeuvre executed by the cunning dogs--until thedesired result was accomplished, and the antelope was completely"blown. "

Then, as if they felt that it was in their power, and that furtherstrategy was not needed, the whole pack rushed forward simultaneously, and closed rapidly upon the game. 

The hartebeest made one last despairing effort to escape, but, findingthat speed would no longer avail, the creature wheeled suddenly round, and placed itself in an attitude of defiance--the foam falling from itslips, while its red eyes sparkled like coals of fire. 

In another moment the dogs were around it. 

"What a splendid pack!" exclaimed Von Bloom. "Oh! that I had such anone!

"Ha!" he continued, as a new thought struck him, "and why not, just suchan one?--why not?"

Now the train of reflections that passed through the mind of thefield-cornet was as follows:--

That the wild hounds might be tamed, and trained to hunting, --easiest ofall, to the chase of the elephant. He knew that this could be done, forboor-hunters had often done it. True, the dogs must be taken young, butwhere were young ones to be obtained? It is not so easy to capture thepups of the wild hound. Until they are able to run well, their mothersdo not permit them to stray far from the caves in which they arelittered; and these are usually crevices among rocks quite inaccessibleto man. How could he obtain a set of them? He had already formed suchan intention. Where could be their breeding-place?

His reflections were interrupted at this point, by very singularbehaviour on the part of the wild hounds, and which gave him a new ideaof their intelligence that quite electrified him. 

When the hartebeest stood to bay, and the hounds came up, Von Bloom verynaturally expected to see the latter run in upon their game, and at oncepull it to the ground. This he knew was their usual habit. What washis astonishment at seeing the whole pack standing off to one side, asif they intended to leave the antelope alone! Some of them even laydown to rest themselves, while the others stood with open jaws andlolling tongues, but without showing any signs that they intendedfurther to molest the panting quarry!

The field-cornet could observe the situation well, for the antelope wason his side--that is, towards the cliffs--while the dogs were fartherout upon the plain. Another circumstance that astonished him was, thatthe dogs, after running up and around the hartebeest, had actually drawnoff to their present position!

What could it mean? Were they afraid of its ugly horns? Were theyresting themselves before they should make their bloody onslaught?

The hunter kept his gaze intently fixed upon the interesting group. 

After a while the antelope, having recovered its wind a little, andseeing the pack so distant, made a fresh start. 

This time it ran in a side direction, apparently with the intention ofgaining a hill that lay in that way, and up the sides of which it nodoubt calculated upon gaining some advantage. But the creature hadhardly stretched itself, when the hounds struck out after it; and infive hundred yards running, once more brought it to a stand. Again thepack took station at a distance, and the hartebeest stood upon the plainalone!

Once more it essayed to escape, and started off with all the speed thatwas left in its legs--the hounds as before trooping after. 

This time the antelope headed in a new direction, making for a point inthe cliffs; and as the chase now passed very near to the nwana-tree, everybody had a fine view of it. 

The hartebeest seemed to be going faster than ever, or, at all events, the dogs did not now appear to gain upon it; and the field-cornet, aswell as all the young people, were in hopes the poor creature wouldescape from its tireless pursuers. 

They watched the chase, until they could just see the bright body of thehartebeest afar off, appearing like a yellow spot upon the face of therocks, but the dogs were no longer visible. Then the yellow spotsuddenly disappeared like the going out of a candle, and they could seeit no more. 

No doubt the antelope was pulled down!

A strange suspicion entered the mind of Von Bloom, and, calling uponthem to saddle the quaggas, he, with Hans and Hendrik, rode off towardsthe place where the hartebeest had been last seen. 

They approached the ground with caution; and under the shelter of somebushes were enabled to get within two hundred yards of the spot withoutbeing observed. A singular spectacle rewarded their pains. 

Within a dozen yards of the cliff lay the body of the hartebeest, whereit had been "pulled down" by the dogs. It was already half-eaten, notby the hounds that had hunted it, but by their puppies of all ages, thatto the number of more than threescore were now standing around thecarcass, tugging away at its flesh and snarling at one another! Some ofthe grown dogs that had taken part in the chase could be seen lying uponthe ground, still panting after their hard run; but most of them haddisappeared, no doubt into the numerous small caves and crevices thatopened along the bottom of the cliffs. 

There was no room left to doubt the singular fact--that the wild houndshad regularly driven the hartebeest up to their breeding-place to feedtheir young, and that they had abstained from killing it out upon theplain to save themselves the labour of dragging it from a distance!

Indeed these animals--unlike the _Felida_--have not the power oftransporting a large mass to any considerable distance; hence thewonderful instinct which led them to guide the antelope to the very spotwhere its flesh was wanted!

That they were in the constant practice of this singular habit wasattested, by the numerous bones and horns of large antelopes ofdifferent kinds, that lay strewed around the place. 

Von Bloom had his eye upon the young puppies, and all three made a rushtowards them. But it was to no purpose. Cunning as their fathers andmothers, the little fellows forsook their meal at first sight of theintruders, and darted off into their caves!

But they were not cunning enough to escape the snares, which were laidfor them every day for a week after; and, before the end of that time, more than a dozen of them were safely domiciled in a little kennel builtespecially for their use, under the shadow of the great nwana-tree. 

In less than six months from that time, several of them were in thefield, and trained to the chase of the elephant, which duty theyperformed with all the courage and skill that could have been shown byhounds of the purest breed!

CHAPTER FORTY EIGHT. 

CONCLUSION. 

For several years Von Bloom led the life of an elephant-hunter. Forseveral years the great nwana-tree was his home, and his only companionshis children and domestics. But, perhaps, these were not the leasthappy years of his existence, since, during all the time both he and hisfamily had enjoyed the most estimable of earthly blessings, --health. 

He had _not_ allowed his children to grow up without instruction. Hehad _not_ permitted them to lapse into the character of mere"Bush-boys. " He had taught them many things from the book of nature, --many arts that can be acquired as well on the karoo as in the college. He had taught them to love God, and to love one another. He had plantedin their minds the seeds of the virtuous principles, --honour andmorality, --without which all education is worthless. He had imbued themwith habits of industry and self-reliance, and had initiated them intomany of the accomplishments of civilised life--so that upon their returnto society they might be quite equal to its claims. Upon the whole, those years of the exile's life, spent in his wilderness home, formed noblank in his existence. He might look back upon them with feelings ofsatisfaction and pleasure. 

Man, however, is formed for society. The human heart, properlyorganised, seeks communion with the human heart; and the mind, especially when refined and polished by education, loves the intercourseof social life, and, when deprived of it, will always yearn to obtainit. 

So was it with the field-cornet. He desired to return once more withinthe pale of civilised society. He desired once more to revisit thescenes where he had so long dwelt in peaceful happiness; he desired oncemore to establish himself among his friends and acquaintances of formerdays, in the picturesque district of the Graaf Reinet. Indeed, to haveremained any longer in his wilderness home could have served no purpose. It is true he had grown very much attached to his wild hunter-life, butit was no longer likely to be profitable. The elephants had completelyforsaken the neighbourhood of the camp, and not one was to be foundwithin twenty miles of the spot. They had become well acquainted withthe report of the long roer, and knew the dangerous character of thatweapon; they had learnt that of all their enemies man was the one to beespecially dreaded and shunned; and they had grown so shy of hispresence, that the hunters frequently passed whole weeks without settingtheir eyes upon a single elephant. 

But this was no longer an object of solicitude with Von Bloom. Otherconsiderations now occupied his mind, and he did not care much if heshould never spoor another of these huge quadrupeds. To return to theGraaf Reinet, and settle there, was now the ultimatum of his wishes. 

The time had at length arrived when he would be able to carry out thatdesign; and nothing seemed any longer to stand in the way of its fulland complete accomplishment. 

The proscription against him had been long since taken off. A generalamnesty had been passed by the government, and he had been pardonedamong the rest. 

It is true his property was not restored to him; but that matteredlittle now. He had created a new property, as was testified by the vast_pyramid of ivory_ that stood under the shadow of the great nwana-tree!

Nothing remained but to transport this shining pile to a market, and asplendid fortune would be the result. 

And Von Bloom's ingenuity found the means for bringing it to market. 

About this time there was dug another huge _pit-trap_ near the pass inthe cliffs, in which many quaggas were trapped; and then there werestirring scenes, while these wild creatures were being broken toharness, and trained to "trek" in a wagon. 

They were trained however, after a good deal of trouble--the old wheels, still in prime condition, serving as the "break;" and then the body ofthe wagon was let down from the tree, and once more renewed itsacquaintance with its old companions the wheels; and the cap-tent spreadits protecting shadow over all; and the white and yellow crescents werestowed; and the quaggas were "inspanned;" and Swartboy, mounting the"voor-kist, " once more cracked his long bamboo whip; and the wheels, well oiled with elephants' grease, again whirled gaily along!

How surprised were the good people of Graaf Reinet, when, one morning, acap-tent wagon, drawn by twelve quaggas, and followed by four ridersmounted upon animals of the same kind, pulled up in the public square oftheir little town! How astonished they were on seeing that this wagonwas "chuck" full of elephants' teeth, all except a little corneroccupied by a beautiful girl with cherry cheeks and fair flaxen hair;and how joyed were they, in fine, on learning that the owner of both theivory and the beautiful girl was no other than their old friend, andmuch-esteemed fellow-citizen, the field-cornet Von Bloom!

A warm welcome met the elephant-hunter in the square of Graaf Reinet, and, what was also of some importance, a ready market for his ivory. 

It chanced just at that time that ivory was selling at a very high rate. Some article--I do not remember what--the principal part of whichrequired to be constructed of pure ivory, had come into fashion andgeneral use in European countries, and the consequence was an increaseddemand for this valuable commodity. It was a fortunate circumstance forthe returned hunter, who was at once enabled to dispose of his stock, not only for ready money, but at such a fine price as to yield himnearly twice the amount he had calculated on receiving!

He had not brought it all with him, as there was more than would haveloaded any one wagon. A second load had remained, hidden near thenwana-tree, and this required a journey to be made for it. 

It was made in due time, and the remainder arrived safely at GraafReinet, and was there delivered to the ivory-dealers, who had alreadypurchased it. 

The result was a splendid fortune in ready money. The field-cornet wasonce more a rich man! For the present we can follow his history nofarther than to say, that the proceeds of his great hunt enabled him tobuy back his old estate, and to stock it in splendid style, with thebest breeds of horses, horned cattle, and sheep; that he rose rapidly inwealth and worldly esteem; that the government gave him its confidence;and, having first restored him to his old office of field-cornet, soonafterwards promoted him to that of "landdrost, " or chief magistrate ofthe district. 

Hans returned to his college studies; while the dashing Hendrik wasenabled to enter the profession for which he was most fit, and the veryone that fitted him, by obtaining a cornetcy in the "Cape MountedRifles. "

Little Jan was packed off to school to study grammar and geography;while the beautiful Truey remained at home to grace the mansion of herhonoured father, and look after his household affairs. 

Totty still ruled the kitchen; and, of course, Swartboy was theimportant man about the house, and for many a long year after crackedhis great whip, and flourished his jambok among the long-horned oxen ofthe wealthy landdrost. 

But enough for the present, --enough of adventure for one year. Let ushope, boy readers, that before you and I have circled once more aroundthe sun, we shall make a fresh trip to the land of the boors, and againencounter the worthy Von Bloom, his Bushman, and--

"Bush-Boys. "

THE END.