f flame would lick up. Dark figures could be
seen manipulating wood. A blazing fire sprang up, against which we could
see the motionless and picturesque figure of Saa-sita (Six o'Clock), the
askari of the first night watch, leaning on his musket. He was a most
picturesque figure, for his fancy ran to original headdresses, and at
the moment he affected a wonderful upstanding structure made of marabout
wings.

At this sign that the night had begun, we turned in. A few hyenas
moaned, a few jackals barked: otherwise the first part of the night was
silent, for the hunters were at their silent business, and the hunted
were "layin' low and sayin' nuffin'."

Day after day we rode out, exploring the country in different
directions. The great uncertainty as to what of interest we would find
filled the hours with charm. Sometimes we clambered about the cliffs of
the buttes trying to find klipspringers; again we ran miles pursuing the
gigantic eland. I in turn got my first rhinoceros, with no more danger
than had attended the killing of B.'s. On this occasion, however, I had
my first experience of the lightning skill of the first-class gunbearer.
Having fired both barrels, and staggered the beast, I threw open the
breech and withdrew the empty cartridges, intending, of course, as my
next move to fish two more out of my belt. The empty shells were hardly
away from the chambers, however, when a long brown arm shot over
my right shoulder and popped two fresh cartridges in the breech. So
astonished was I at this unexpected apparition, that for a second or so
I actually forgot to close the gun.

VII. ON THE MARCH

After leaving the First Game Camp, we travelled many hours and miles
over rolling hills piling ever higher and higher until they broke
through a pass to illimitable plains. These plains were mantled with the
dense scrub, looking from a distance and from above like the nap of soft
green velvet. Here and there this scrub broke in round or oval patches
of grass plain. Great mountain ranges peered over the edge of a horizon.
Lesser mountain peaks of fantastic shapes-sheer Yosemite cliffs, single
buttes, castles-had ventured singly from behind that same horizon
barricade. The course of a river was marked by a meandering line of
green jungle.

It took us two days to get to that river. Our intermediate camp was
halfway down the pass. We ousted a hundred indignant straw-coloured
monkeys and twice as many baboons from the