rise inquiringly.
It was by now nearly noon. The sun shone clear and hot; the heat

shimmer rose in clouds from the brown surface of the hills. In
all directions we could make out small gameherds resting

motionless in the heat of the day, the mirage throwing them into
fantastic shapes. While the final disposition was being made of

the defunct rhinoceros I wandered over the edge of the hill to
see what I could see, and fairly blundered on a herd of oryx at

about a hundred and fifty yards range. They looked at me a
startled instant, then leaped away to the left at a tremendous

speed. By a lucky shot, I bowled one over. He was a beautiful
beast, with his black and white face and his straight rapierlike

horns nearly three feet long, and I was most pleased to get him.
Memba Sasa came running at the sound of the shot. We set about

preparing the head.
Then through a gap in the hills far to the left we saw a little

black speck moving rapidly in our direction. At the end of a
minute we could make it out as the second rhinoceros. He had run

heaven knows how many miles away, and now he was returning;
whether with some idea of rejoining his companion or from sheer

chance, I do not know. At any rate, here he was, still ploughing
along at his swinging trot. His course led him along a side hill

about four hundred yards from where the oryx lay. When he was
directly opposite I took the Springfield and fired, not at him,

but at a spot five or six feet in front of his nose. The bullet
threw up a column of dust. Rhino brought up short with

astonishment, wheeled to the left, and made off at a gallop. I
dropped another bullet in front of him. Again he stopped, changed

direction, and made off. For the third time I hit the ground in
front of him. Then he got angry, put his head down and charged

the spot.
Five more shots I expended on the amusement of that rhinoceros;

and at the last had run furiously charging back and forth in a
twenty-yard space, very angry at the little puffing, screeching

bullets, but quite unable to catch one. Then he made up his mind
and departed the way he had come, finally disappearing as a

little rapidly moving black speck through the gap in the hills
where we had first caught sight of him.

We finished caring for the oryx, and returned to camp. To our
surprise we found we were at least seven or eight miles out.

In this fashion days passed very quickly. The early dewy start in
the cool of the morning, the gradualgratefulwarming up of

sunrise, and immediately after, the rest during the midday heats
under a shady tree, the long trek back to camp at sunset, the hot

bath after the toilsome day-all these were very pleasant. Then
the swift falling night, and the gleam of many tiny fires

springing up out of the darkness; with each its sticks full of
meat roasting, and its little circle of men, their skins gleaming

in the light. As we sat smoking, we would become aware that
M'ganga, the headman, was standing silent awaiting orders. Some

one would happen to see the white of his eyes, or perhaps he
might smile so that his teeth would become visible. Otherwise he

might stand there an hour, and no one the wiser, for he was
respectfully silent, and exactly the colour of the night.

We would indicate to him our plans for the morrow, and he would
disappear. Then at a distance of twenty or thirty feet from the

front of our tents a tiny tongue of flame would lick up. Dark
figures could be seen manipulating wood. A blazing fire sprang

up, against which we could see the motionless and picturesque
figure of Saa-sita (Six o'Clock), the askari of the first night

watch, leaning on his musket. He was a most picturesque figure,
for his fancy ran to original headdresses, and at the moment he

affected a wonderful upstandingstructure made of marabout wings.
At this sign that the night had begun, we turned in. A few hyenas

moaned, a few jackals barked: otherwise the first part of the
night was silent, for the hunters were at their silent business,

and the hunted were "layin' low and sayin' nuffin'."
Day after day we rode out, exploring the country in different

directions. The great uncertainty as to what of interest we would
find filled the hours with charm. Sometimes we clambered about

the cliffs of the buttes trying to find klipspringers; again we
ran miles pursuing the gigantic eland. I in turn got my first

rhinoceros, with no more danger than had attended the killing of
B.'s. On this occasion, however, I had my first experience of the

lightning skill of the first-class gunbearer. Having fired both
barrels, and staggered the beast, I threw open the breech and

withdrew the empty cartridges, intending, of course, as my next
move to fish two more out of my belt. The empty shells were

hardly away from the chambers, however, when a long brown arm
shot over my right shoulder and popped two fresh cartridges in

the breech. So astonished was I at this unexpected apparition,
that for a second or so I actually forgot to close the gun.

VII. ON THE MARCH
After leaving the First Game Camp, we travelled many hours and

miles over rolling hills piling ever higher and higher until they
broke through a pass to illimitable plains. These plains were

mantled with the dense scrub, looking from a distance and from
above like the nap of soft green velvet. Here and there this

scrub broke in round or oval patches of grass plain. Great
mountain ranges peered over the edge of a horizon. Lesser

mountain peaks of fantastic shapes-sheer Yosemite cliffs, single
buttes, castles-had ventured singly from behind that same

horizon barricade. The course of a river was marked by a
meandering line of green jungle.

It took us two days to get to that river. Our intermediate camp
was halfway down the pass. We ousted a hundred indignant

straw-coloured monkeys and twice as many baboons from the tiny
flat above the water hole. They bobbed away cursing over their

shoulders at us. Next day we debouched on the plains. They were
rolling, densely grown, covered with volcanic stones, swarming

with game of various sorts. The men marched well. They were
happy, for they had had a week of meat; and each carried a light

lunch of sun-dried biltong or jerky. Some mistaken individuals
had attempted to bring along some "fresh" meat. We found it

advisable to pass to windward of these; but they themselves did
not seem to mind.

It became very hot; for we were now descending to the lower
elevations. The marching through long grass and over volcanic

stones was not easy. Shortly we came out on stumbly hills, mostly
rock, very dry, grown with cactus and discouraged desiccated

thorn scrub. Here the sun reflected powerfully and the bearers
began to flag.

Then suddenly, without warning, we pitched over a little rise to
the river.

No more marvellous contrast could have been devised. From the
blasted barren scrub country we plunged into the lush jungle. It

was not a very wide jungle, but it was sufficient. The trees were
large and variegated, reaching to a high and spacious upper story

above the ground tangle. From the massive limbs hung vines,
festooned and looped like great serpents. Through this upper

corridor flitted birds of bright hue or striking variegation. We
did not know many of them by name, nor did we desire to; but were

content with the impression of vivid flashing movement and
colour. Various monkeys swung, leaped and galloped slowly away

before our advance; pausing to look back at us curiously, the
ruffs of fur standing out all around their little black faces.

The lower half of the forest jungle, however, had no spaciousness
at all, but a certain breathlessintimacy. Great leaved plants as

tall as little trees, and trees as small as big plants, bound