ke. We watched them crawling along
amid the reeds, their heads alone being visible, and looking very like
the animals they intended to represent. I could see in the distance on
a sedgy bank several dark objects, which I guessed were crocodiles. The
hunters approached them cautiously, now stopping, just as an antelope or
crane would do to feed, now advancing again, now stopping, till they had
got within bow-shot of the creatures. Then, quickly raising their
weapons, they let fly at the same moment. The result at that distance I
could not ascertain, but it appeared to me that, although I saw some
movement among the objects, yet two or more remained on the bank. The
hunters rushed on, now careless of exhibiting themselves, and in a short
time returned with some of the flesh of the creatures they had killed.
They immediately set out again, and as I watched to ascertain the
direction they took, I saw in the far distance several buffaloes going
down to drink at the lake. They were not back till dark; but, from the
quantity of buffalo flesh they brought with them, I had no doubt they
had killed one or two of the animals. Their plump cheeks and bodies
showed that they had an abundance of food; and they were liberal in
bestowing on us as much as we could desire.

Our friends remained for a couple of days, enjoying, after the African
fashion, the abundance of food they had collected. Whenever we
signified our wish to depart, the chief, as before, strenuously opposed
it. In vain I protested against being detained, and made signs that we
were determined to go, whether he wished it or not. This made him very
angry, and from his manner when he left us, we feared that, should we
really make the attempt, he would use force to prevent us. We
therefore, as other people have done, had to yield to circumstances, and
to make the best of our position. At last we agreed that we would
appear to be contented with our lot, so as, if possible, to throw our
captors off their guard. They were the most active and persevering
hunters of any people we had yet met with. The morning after the last
piece of buffalo flesh had been eaten (it had been rather too high for
our stomachs), we found that they were preparing to set off on a hunting
expedition, and we were not sorry to find that they expected us to
accompany them. I carried my gun: I should have said I never let it out
of my hand by day, and always placed it under my mat by night, t