arn that we are on the right course, what then, Willem?"

"Then we must follow it till the giraffes are retaken," answered Willem.
"I should have but little hope of catching them again," he continued,
"did I not know that they are now quite tame. I should as soon think of
my own horse absconding, and going a hundred miles into the wilderness,
to avoid me. We shall find the giraffes if we persevere; and, once
found, they won't hinder us from catching them."

From the quiet behaviour of the giraffes for the last three weeks, Arend
and Hendrik could not deny the truth of Willem's assertions; and all
three urged their horses forward, more anxious than ever to come upon
the spoor of the strays.

After passing beyond the ground tracked by the farm cattle, they once
more came out upon the so-called road, along which they had travelled
the day before. But for more than a mile, after the most careful
examination, no spoor of giraffe, old or young, was to be seen. Even
those made by them on the day before could no longer be distinguished in
the dust. The rain, with the tracks of other animals coming after, had
obliterated them. The state of the ground they were examining was now
favourable for receiving a permanent impression; and, as none appeared,
they became satisfied that the runaways had not returned that way.

After a long consultation which came near ending in a wrangle, Willem
being opposed by his companions, it was decided that they should ride
round in a circle of which the dwelling of the boer should be the
centre. By so doing, the spoor of the lost animals should be found. It
was the only plan for them to take, and slowly they rode on, feeling
very uncomfortable at the uncertainty that surrounded them.

The country over which they were riding was a poor pasture with patches
of thinly growing grass. A herd of cattle and horses, old and young,
had lately gone over the ground, and often would the eye catch sight of
tracks so like those made by a giraffe that one of the party would
dismount for a closer examination before being able to decide.

To Groot Willem this slow process was torturing in the extreme. He
believed that the giraffes were each moment moving farther away from the
place.

After the search had been continued for nearly two hours, a spoor was at
length found that was unmistakably that of a camelopard. With a shout
of joy Willem turned his horse and commenced taking it up. It was
fresh,--