ely to find game.

Our longings were gratified. We had advanced about a quarter of a mile
beyond the palm-wood, when the forest appeared to end in front of us.
We saw the sun streaming through the trees, and a bit of blue sky as big
as a main-sail, and from this we knew there was an opening in the
timber.

We hastened forward with joyful anticipations; and a hundred yards
farther on came out upon the edge of a beautiful plain, that stretched
as far beyond as the eye could reach, with scarcely a tree to intercept
the prospect. Here and there only stood single trees, or little clumps,
just as if the plain was a great park and these had been planted; but
there was no house within sight nor any sign of the presence of man.

We saw some animals, however, upon the plain which my companion believed
to be deer; but I again differed with him about the kind, for I knew by
their horns that they were antelopes.

No matter about that--we were both equally glad to see them--and whether
they proved to be deer or antelopes we were desirous of having a shot at
them.

We stopped for awhile, under cover of the bushes, to reconnoitre and
plan how we might approach them. Of course there was no other way than
to "stalk" them; and that could only be done by taking advantage of the
little copses of trees that were interspersed over the plain. One of
these, we noticed, was not very distant from the spot where the herd was
browsing, and we had fine hopes of being able to get into it unobserved.

As soon as we had taken all the bearings we set out; and after gliding
from clump to clump--sometimes on our feet, in crouching attitude, and
sometimes crawling upon our hands and knees--we at length got behind the
particular grove, near which was the game.

We took great pains to worm our way through the copse, for it was a
perfect thicket, and so full of thorny trees, such as acacias and aloes,
that we got well scratched for our pains.

At length, however, we came near enough to the other side for our
purpose; and, with quick beating pulses, we perceived that the antelopes
had kept the ground, and were now within range of the "Queen Anne." Of
course I had no design of firing my pistol. That would only have been
to waste powder and shot; and I had merely kept along with Ben to be
near and enjoy the sport.

Ben was not slow about the work. He saw that there was no time to be
lost, for the timid antelopes were seen to toss up their tiny s