ran past the motionless Caffre without doing him any injury!

Whether it is owing to the smallness of its eyes, or to the horns on its
nose being in the way, we cannot tell, but it is a fact that the black
rhinoceros does not see well, and Mafuta, aware of this defect, had
taken advantage of it in a way what is sometimes practised by bold men.
Had he continued to run he would certainly have been overtaken and
killed; but, standing perfectly still, he was no doubt taken for a tree
stump by the animal. At all events it brushed past him, and Mafuta,
doubling on his track, ran to a tree, up which he vaulted like a monkey.

Meanwhile Tom Brown got within range, and sent a ball crashing against
the animal's hard sides without doing it any injury. The second barrel
was discharged with no better result, except that a splinter of its horn
was knocked off. Before he could reload, the rhinoceros was gone, and
Tom had to content himself with carrying off the splinter as a memorial
of the adventure.

That night the travellers made their encampment at the foot of a tree,
on the lower branches of which they hung up a quantity of meat. Tom lay
in a small tent which he carried with him, but Mafuta preferred to sleep
by the fire outside.

During the day they had seen and heard several lions. It was therefore
deemed advisable to picket the horses close to the tent, between it and
the fire.

"Mafuta," said Tom Brown, as he lay contemplating the fire on which the
Caffre had just heaped fresh logs, "give me some more tea, and cook
another giraffe steak. D'you know I feel my appetite coming back with
great force?"

"Dat am good," said Mafuta.

"Yes, that is undoubtedly good," said Tom. "I never knew what it was to
have a poor appetite until I came to this wonderful land of yours, and I
assure you that I will not pay it another visit in a hurry--although,
upon the whole, I'm very well pleased to have hunted in it."

"W'at for you come because of?" asked Mafuta.

"Well, I came for fun, as the little boys in my country say. I came for
change, for variety, for amusement, for relaxation, for sport. Do you
understand any of these expressions?"

"Me not onderstan' moch," answered Mafuta with great simplicity of
manner; "bot why you want for change? Me nivir wants no change?"

"Ah, Mafuta," replied Tom with a smile, "you're a happy man? The fact
is, that we civilised people lead artificial lives, to a large extent,
and, there