of me was generally expressed in a loud clear
whistle. But then nobody in this strange country talks the language you
would naturally expect him to talk! Zebra bark, hyenas laugh, impallas
grunt, ostriches boom like drums, leopards utter a plaintive sigh,
hornbills cry like a stage child, bushbucks sound like a cross between
a dog and a squawky toy-and so on. There is only one safe rule of the
novice in Africa: NEVER BELIEVE A WORD THE JUNGLE AND VELDT PEOPLE TELL
YOU.

These two-the impalla and the waterbuck-were the principal buck we would
see close to the river. Occasionally, however, we came on a few oryx,
down for a drink, beautiful big antelope, with white and black faces,
roached manes, and straight, nearly parallel, rapier horns upward of
three feet long. A herd of these creatures, the light gleaming on their
weapons, held all at the same slant, was like a regiment of bayonets in
the sun. And there were also the rhinoceroses to be carefully espied
and avoided. They lay obliterated beneath the shade of bushes, and arose
with a mighty blow-off of steam. Whereupon we withdrew silently, for we
wanted to shoot no more rhinos, unless we had to.

Beneath all these obvious and startling things, a thousand other
interesting matters were afoot. In the mass and texture of the jungle
grew many strange trees and shrubs. One most scrubby, fat and leafless
tree, looking as though it were just about to give up a discouraged
existence, surprised us by putting forth, apparently directly from
its bloated wood, the most wonderful red blossoms. Another otherwise
self-respecting tree hung itself all over with plump bologna sausages
about two feet long and five inches thick. A curious vine hung like a
rope, with Turk's-head knots about a foot apart on its whole length,
like the hand-over-hand ropes of gymnasiums. Other ropes were studded
all over with thick blunt bosses, resembling much the outbreak on one
sort of Arts-and-Crafts door: the sort intended to repel Mail-clad
Hosts.

The monkeys undoubtedly used such obvious highways through the trees.
These little people were very common. As we walked along, they withdrew
before us. We could make out their figures galloping hastily across the
open places, mounting bushes and stubs to take a satisfying backward
look, clambering to treetops, and launching themselves across the
abysses between limbs. If we went slowly, they retired in silence. If
we hurried at all, they protested in dire