n to drink, placing one
hand on a tussock and the other on what I took to be a stone, about six
inches in diameter. But when I touched it the supposed stone emitted a
terrible "quor-r-rr-k," and squattered away. It was an immense bull
frog I had tried to lean upon. I sprang up and fled. Such was my first
experience of African big game.

After a six days' trek we reached Grahamstown. We failed to observe
any, saints, but, on the other hand, met a number of very kind sinners,
who did a lot towards making our stay a pleasant one. For a week we
were the guests of Judge Fitzpatrick and his wife. The judge and my
father had occupied chambers together as young men in Dublin. "Sir
Percy" was then a boy I should say about three or four years my junior.
The judge's orchard was all that could be desired by hungry boys; the
flavor of the apricots there growing will never be forgotten by me.

We took a house as a temporary measure, my father in the meantime
endeavoring to secure a suitable farm. In this he was unsuccessful, so
after six weeks we hired another wagon and started for King William's
Town. The rains had been heavy, and the drift of the Fish River on the
direct road was consequently impassable, so we took the longer route
and crossed by the old wooden military bridge at Fort Brown. This
bridge was swept away by the great flood of 1874. A great iron girder
structure has been put in its place.

Just before fording the Keiskamma River we encountered a most terrible
thunderstorm. Whilst making all due allowance for inexperience, and
having since sampled some heavy weather of various sorts in the
tropics, I am of opinion that this storm was the worst I have ever
seen. Early in the afternoon of a hot bright day, snow-white,
solid-looking clouds began to collect around the peaks of the Amatole
Mountains. These grew rapidly until they coalesced in a dense, compact
mass. After remaining stationary, for some time, this began to move
slowly towards us. It was black beneath, but dazzlingly white at the
summit. It swept down with accelerating speed. The air throbbed with
that most awe-inspiring sound, the guttural murmur of approaching hail.
For some minutes the rain descended in drowning sheets. Then the hail
smote us like a roaring cataract. The wind was so furious that the
wagon tilt was almost torn to pieces. But, as terrifying agencies,
these were as nothing to the lightning which appeared to stab the
ground so closely and inc