ofala and Gorongoza. Near Manica lie great forests of strange
trees, and among those trees lie broken stone huts. In the mountains
are caves, where the leopards and the lions hide. The white chief may
leave his life there, but he will not see them. The broken huts are
sacred, and if the stranger saw them no rain would fall in the country
for three years."

The voices of the speakers as they conversed eagerly together, with the
wail of the jackals and hyenas, the barking of the foxes, the snort of
the hippopotami on the river bank, broke the silence of the starlight
night. The blaze occasionally flared up, and then died away, lighting
up all to within a certain radius.

Luji was just finishing his squirrel, and Hughes had put his rifle
together and was trying the lock, when a tremendous roar, apparently
close to, startled all, and the flickering blaze of the firelight danced
for an instant on the dark hide of a lion, as he dashed past, the next
moment passing through the midst of the astonished group, bearing with
him the carcass of an eland that day shot.

The night was dark, the country unknown; dense thickets existed on the
banks of the river,--and so heaping fresh wood on the fire, the whole
camp was soon fast asleep, the task of following up the spoor of the
lion being deferred till the next morning.

The day's march it was determined should be a short one, for Masheesh,
who was down on the river side before daylight, had fallen on the
remains of the eland some way off, just where the Suave discharged its
meagre waters into another and larger stream, "It would seem," said
Hughes, when relating the matter to Wyzinski, "that the lion must have
been actuated by a spirit of fun, for he certainly was not hungry. The
greater part of the eland lies in the brush near the river side."

"We will move on a few miles, and camp on the mountain slope," replied
the missionary. "The lion is sure to return for the remains of the
eland. You have but to watch for him; and if you don't, the chances are
he follows the camp and pays us another visit."

"More than that," returned the soldier, "the grass is very much trampled
near the pool formed by the junction of the two rivers. Many wild
animals must frequent it, and perhaps elephants; but first we must
replace the stolen meat," he continued, shouldering his rifle and moving
off, followed by the others across the plain, for eland were very
numerous at the foot of the moun