ercy, without making any remark, threw himself into his saddle again,
satisfied with the collection he had already made.

As they advanced the country improved. They passed the ruins of several
farms, the owners of which had "trekked" to the Transvaal republic.

Hour after hour the waggon proceeded on through the same monotonous
style of country, until towards evening, no other more convenient spot
being found, a halt was called near one of the mounds which have been
described, and close by which ran a small "spruit," or stream, affording
the weary oxen sufficient water to quench their thirst. As no trees or
shrubs grew near, a quantity of dry dung was collected to serve as fuel.
This, when once lighted, threw out an intense heat, quickly boiling all
the pots placed over it; but as it produced little or no flame, it was
not so well calculated to serve as a watch fire to scare away wild
beasts as one formed of wood. It was necessary, therefore, to keep a
stricter watch than usual at night, lest a lion might visit the camp
with the intention of making a feast off one of the oxen or horses.

While the party were seated at supper, Denis amused himself by telling
all sorts of terrible tales of the way a lion had occasionally leapt
into a camp and carried off a man before his companions had time to
rescue him.

"Come, Denis, don't be trying to frighten our young friends with your
wonderful stories, and to make them wish that they were out of the
country again," said Hendricks. "The lion is not so very formidable a
beast, after all. I've never been troubled by one in my camp, although
I have not unfrequently had half a dozen roaring round it at night; but
then I have always kept up a good fire, and had men on the watch, ready
to shoot the brutes, should they come near; so their instinct, I fancy,
has told them that it would be prudent to keep at a distance."

The horses had been knee-haltered, the usual way of securing them from
straying, and had been turned out with the cattle to pick up as much
sustenance as they could obtain from the withered grass, with one of the
Hottentot boys, old Dos, to watch them. The Hottentots, like
postilions, are always boys to the end of their days. Dos, though near
sixty, was so small and wiry, that at a little distance he might have
been mistaken for a boy.

As Hendricks intended to start at daylight, he ordered all hands to lie
down at an early hour, and obtain as much rest as the