give it up."

"Perhaps he did feel afraid," said Dick.

"Not he," said Jack sturdily. "If he had felt afraid, he wouldn't have
let us watch here."

"Oh, yes, he would," said Dick thoughtfully. "Father wants us to grow
up manly and strong, and ready to laugh at what would alarm some lads.
Hark! what's that?"

He caught his brother's arm, for just then, apparently from beneath
their feet, they heard a peculiar noise.

"Oomph! oomph! oomph!" a peculiar, vibrating, shuddering, deep-toned
cry, which seemed to make the air, and the very earth beneath them,
vibrate.

There was no mistaking it. Over and over again they had heard Coffee
and Chicory imitate the cry; but how pitiful their attempts seemed now,
as compared to the noise heard there in the solemnity of the silent
night! "Oomph! oomph! oomph!" a peculiar grunting, shuddering roar,
which made a perfect commotion in the strongly-made cattle-kraal or
enclosure, the oxen running about in their dread, and the horses
whinnying and stamping upon the hard ground.

"How close is it!" whispered Jack, stretching out his hand to get hold
of his rifle.

"I don't know. It seems sometimes just by this patch of bushes, and
sometimes ever so far away. Hark! there's another."

"Yes, and another."

"Or is it all made by one lion?" said Dick.

"I don't know," replied Jack, in an awe-stricken whisper.

"Shall we call father, and tell him there are lions about?"

"No," said Dick sturdily. "He'd laugh at us for cowards. We've got to
get used to lions, Jack; and it's our own doing--we wanted to come."

"Yes, but I didn't know they'd come so close," replied Jack. "Hark at
that!"

There was a deep-toned quivering roar, apparently from the other side of
the fire, and Dick felt his heart beat rapidly as he threw a handful of
small twigs upon the fire to make it blaze up.

"Let's go and talk to the horses," he said. "Yes; that's right," for
Jack had also added an armful of dry wood to the fire, which now blazed
up merrily.

They went to the thorny hedge which protected the horses, and on making
their way through to where they were haltered to a pole, carried on the
waggon for the purpose, they found the poor creatures trembling, and
with dripping flanks, while when they spoke to them they rubbed their
noses against their masters' hands, and whinnied with pleasure, as if
comforted by the presence of the boys.

"What's that, Dick?" cried Jack excitedly, for there wa