ed embers to make the fire blaze up again; for the
lions, far from being scared by the noise of the shot, renewed their
awe-inspiring "Oomph! oomph!" on all sides; and the fear of the cattle
was such that they threatened to break out of the kraal.

Again Mr Rogers roused himself, and asked if there was any need for him
to come. But Dick replied steadily that there was not--feeling as he
did pretty confident, in spite of his dread, that they could keep the
lions at bay.

The fire blazed up so brightly, that the boys glanced anxiously at the
supply of wood, thinking of the hours they had yet to pass before
daylight, and what would be the consequences if the fire went out.

One thing was very certain, and that was that a large fire would be
necessary now every night. And though the boys felt a strange kind of
tremor as they felt the risks they were incurring, there was so much
romantic excitement in the life they were leading, that they would not
have given it up on any consideration.

The lions roared and prowled about them during the remainder of the
night, sometimes coming very close, sometimes retreating, for the fire
was very bright. And then came the two boys, Coffee and Chicory, with
Peter the driver, to relieve them, just as day was breaking, and the
young travellers gladly went back into the waggon for a sleep.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN.

TRACKED BY AN ENEMY.

They did not have a long sleep, for Mr Rogers soon roused them to say
that breakfast was ready; which meal being discussed, the oxen were
in-spanned, and the horses mounted, so as to have a good long trek
towards the Limpopo, or Crocodile River, before the heat of the day.

Before leaving their camp the boys had a good look round with the
General, in the expectation and hope of seeing the lion at which Jack
had shot, lying dead. But though he felt certain that he had hit the
monster, and though footprints were about in all directions, there was
no dead lion, and they had to hope for better luck the next time.

"I don't care," said Jack discontentedly; "I'm as sure as can be that
this gun don't shoot straight."

"Try again, Jack," said his father, laughing.

And on they walked, over what was now a plain covered with great coarse,
reedy grass, such as would afford plenty of cover for game.

This, however, was scarce, and beyond the boys knocking down three or
four large birds of the partridge kind, there was very little done.

The General, for s