d the Masai and Indians went
to bed hungry, Jack making what little flour they had left into
flapjacks.

By the time they camped at noon, however, the boys and Schoverling had
brought in an eland, which they had found solitary. This staved off
hunger, and without pausing to sleep the hunters set off again while the
cattle rested. The country was well timbered farther ahead, and they
rode toward this through scattered clumps of thorn-trees.

"There's a lion, right enough," said Jack, as one of the tawny beasts
bounded away from a knoll to their right. "That means there's game
around."

"We'll strike it in the trees," declared the General. "That seems like a
good rolling game country stretching out in front."

Knowing that the doctor would bring on the wagon, they struck straight
ahead for five miles. Gradually game became apparent, and after knocking
over a couple of gazelles and a fine oryx, they found a waterhole. Akram
Das was sent back to guide the wagon to it, and that night there was
high feasting in camp.

"I'm mighty glad our cattle pulled through safe," said Schoverling.
"We'll need them on the back trail."

"Yes," put in von Hofe, "they will have to draw the elephant skin and
the ivory."

"Don't count too far ahead," laughed Jack. "It's not going to be any
cinch! But I'd like to meet up with one of those buffalo."

"If poor Mowbray's account is true," said the General, "we'd better have
the gun-bearers stick close with the heavy guns. There's no telling
what we'll strike here. We'll have to keep pretty good guard, too, for
lions will be apt to make a try for the cattle or horses."

Now, with the worst of the march over, they relapsed into regular
day-marches again. But that night, sure enough, Charlie heard the low
mutterings of a lion, and by the light of the fires could see one of the
great beasts slinking past. He gave him two shots from his 30-30, and
the aroused camp found only a dead lion to exult over.

The first day's march brought them to a tiny trickle of water in the
center of a drift, where they outspanned. There were palms and wild figs
in abundance, and with cabbage-palm hearts as a substitute their meat
diet was abandoned. Game was increasing, and that night they located
another drinking-place half a mile up the drift, where the boys bagged
three gerenuk, a kind of gazelle, and two wildebeest.

As they went forward the next day they were all amazed at the remarkable
tameness of the