.
He could not allow it to go thus. He had hoped too wildly, travelled
too far, and waited too long, for that. The fear that he would still
have to surrender his prize or destroy it, was to him a painful thought,
and it was only relieved by the hope that in time he might be joined by
his companions. They might discover the spoor of his horse, and come to
him. In that case there would be no difficulty. The giraffe could then
be secured with rheims and become their travelling companion for the
rest of the journey to Graaf Reinet. About their coming there was much
uncertainty,--at least, their coming in time. They would wait for his
return perhaps, until the next morning, before starting out in search of
him.
Before their arrival, the young giraffe would kill itself with the
violent exertions it still continued to make. It was kicking and
struggling as if it wanted to leap out of its skin. Such terrible
throes could not fail to injure it. Willem was himself suffering from
thirst. A long afternoon was before him. It would be followed by a
long night,--one in which the lion, that prowling tyrant of the African
plains, would be seeking his supper.
Would the hunter be allowed to retain possession of his prize? His
steed, the faithful creature that had carried him through so many
perils, was wandering away from his sight. The horse, too, might stray
beyond the chance of being found again. He might be devoured by wild
beasts. The horse could still be recovered. Would it not be better to
abandon the giraffe and endeavour to get back to his companions? By
remaining where he was, he might lose all three,--his horse, his prize,
and his own life. What was best to be done? The young hunter was never
more perplexed in his life. He was in an agony of doubt and
uncertainty. Streams of perspiration were pouring down his cheeks, and
his throat felt as if on fire. Slowly he saw the horse strolling away,
until he was almost beyond the reach of his vision, and yet could not
bring himself to a determination as to what should be done. He had
travelled fifteen hundred miles to capture two such creatures as the one
now underneath him. He had seized upon one, and, if his companions had
done their duty, they might have taken another. This thought counselled
him to hold on to the captured giraffe; and he saw the horse disappear
over a swell of the plain, just as the sun sunk down below the horizon.
For a long time,
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