The elephant turned and came up the hill again, and as he did so I dismounted and waited for his coming. I let him advance to within less than twenty yards, when I planted a steel-pointed bullet right in the center of his forehead, and laid him low. He fell directly forward, and then his huge body settled toward the base of the hill and rolled partly over.
I remained where I was, with my rifle ready, until my friends came up in response to the waving of my handkerchief. Mirogo and Kalil had watched the performance throughout, and although they were on foot they reached the hill in advance of Harry and Jack, who were on horseback.
My prize was a large one, but, unfortunately, one of his tusks had been partly broken off, probably in an encounter with another elephant. We saved both the tusks, and his feet were cut off and taken home for cooking-purposes. It did not seem to me that the flesh of this elephant would be very tender eating, and I did not try to save any part of it. The Kafirs, however, took a goodly supply, and the rest went to the lions, jackals, and hyenas.
We rode home slowly, and on the way discussed the possibilities of any more elephants being in the neighborhood. The presence of this rogue elephant was indicative of the absence of others, as the rogues are generally far away from the herds. We concluded that we would not go in pursuit of elephants, but turn our attention to the hippopotami, for whose benefit the boat had been constructed.
After breakfast the next morning we went to the river, armed and equipped for hunting hippos. I remained on shore, as I had done at our last hunt, but with this difference: I did not sit down at the edge of the river and go to sleep where the crocodiles could have an easy chance at me, but kept along the bank of the stream, watching my friends in the boat, and for chances to assist them.
Below the spot where I came so near becoming the prey of the crocodiles, the river widened considerably, but was quite shallow. Harry and Jack, with two of the men and a supply of hippopotamus-spears, drifted silently upon the water, with their weapons in readiness. A large hippo came along, and his curiosity was excited by the strange object on the surface of the water. He paddled himself alongside, and when in a good position Harry darted a harpoon into his back. Of course the creature sank at once.
The boat was quickly paddled to the shore, the rope of hippopotamus-hide being paid out as it came along. Then the end of the rope was tossed to where I stood accompanied by a dozen Kafirs. I seized it instantly and passed it over to the men.
They hauled away like good fellows, keeping a steady pull on the rope, which gradually shortened, showing that the animal was being dragged along the bottom. By and by they brought him up so that he raised his head above the water and made a dash at us. I was ready for him, and with two or three well-planted bullets made an end of his onset. Then a rope was passed around the body of the beast, and he was hauled on shore for dissection.
We did not wait to dissect him then, however, but went on farther down the stream, well knowing that it was no use hunting any more in that immediate locality for that day at least. We went down fully half a mile, the boat drifting slowly with the current, or getting, now and then, a stroke or two from one of the paddles, which were handled very skilfully and silently. In due time another hippo was secured in the same way as the first, and brought to land. He was smaller than the other, and was despatched with a lance, and without the necessity of shooting. Consequently less disturbance was made, and we did not have to go so far to secure our next beast. We saw a good many crocodiles, but did not waste ammunition on them; they are of no earthly use to anybody—at least not to any white man. The natives eat their flesh, and would be very greatly pleased if we would slaughter a crocodile or two every day for their benefit.
And this reminds me that one day, just before sunset, I killed a crocodile on the river-bank, at least a hundred feet away from the water. He had gone up there in pursuit of some small animal, as crocodiles frequently do. I had a good chance at him, and killed him with an explosive bullet; he was dead as the proverbial door-nail, and when I reached camp I told the negroes about it, and suggested that they could go in the morning and bring away whatever they liked.
"No crocodile there to-morrow morning," said Mirogo.
"Why not?" I asked.
"Other crocodiles pull him into river," was the reply; "he no be there in morning."
Sure enough, when they went there next morning there was not a vestige of the saurian to be seen; his friends had come in the night and carried him away. Whether they were moved by affection to do so I am unable to say; certainly the crocodile is not credited with affectionate feelings—at least, not for any race other than his own. Crocodiles appear to live peacefully enough together, and they also get along with the hippos without any apparent trouble; but I fancy that many a young hippo finds a resting-place in the stomach of its scaly neighbors.
We got back to camp a little past noon, with good appetites for the luncheon which the cook had provided. After lunch we went in pursuit of giraffes, elands, or anything else that might come in our way; and somehow that way led us in the direction of the camp of our female friends. Nobody suggested riding in that direction, but the impulse seemed to be universal.
We found the ladies at home, and received a cordial welcome. They had quite recovered from the excitement of their night in a tree-top in company with lions, and seemed quite willing to take the hunting-field again at any time. Mrs. Roberts said that, whatever they did, they would not go in exactly that same locality again; but I told her it was not at all likely that those lions would be found there. "Lions range about a good deal," I said, "and the beasts which kept you in that tree-top may be dozens of miles away from there by this time. However, I don't think that is a particularly good hunting-ground, as there is not generally much other game where lions abound."
It was arranged that two or three days later, whenever they should send us word, we would join them in a hunt of some kind, meantime keeping a sharp eye out for whatever might put in an appearance. They said they were going on a little excursion on their own account the next day, but did not say where it was.
We remained at their camp a half-hour or so, and then rode away. We were not fortunate enough to find anything that afternoon, or, at any rate, anything we could capture, and so our entire day's sport was limited to the hippopotami.
The next day we followed up the hippopotamus-hunt with very good success. Jack's boat was admirably well adapted for its purposes, and proved to be a very comfortable craft. We did our hunting leisurely, and as the process was the same as on the previous day, I will not waste time in describing it. We were pretty tired when night came, and after a hearty supper slept very soundly.
We slept so soundly, in fact, that we did not hear the growling and roaring of some lions outside the camp until the manager came and waked us. We were up in a moment, in the hope of getting a shot at the brutes; but after hanging around for half an hour or so without getting a sight of them—although we could hear them distinctly—we gave it up and went back to bed. Before doing so, however, we fired two or three shots in the air, or at places on the ground where we fancied we saw anything moving, thus intimating to the prowlers that it would be well for them to keep at a respectable distance.
We were seated at breakfast the next morning, and making good headway with our damper and stewed hippopotamus, when we were interrupted by our manager. He came to announce that the after-rider from the ladies' camp had just come with the news that they were missing again.
"Missing again!" said Jack, as he sprang to his feet; "I hope it isn't lions this time."
"I hope so, too," said Harry, as he imitated Jack's movements, and in his precipitation dropped a cupful of coffee, which went splashing over the table.
"I'll bet it isn't lions," said I; "but it's something equally serious. Let's finish our breakfast and be off." Then I turned to the manager and told him to have our horses saddled at once.
"There's no need of all three of us going," said Jack; "Frank and I will be sufficient, and you"—addressing Harry—"had better stay here and watch camp."
"I was just going to propose the same thing," said Harry—"that Frank and I would go and help the ladies out of their trouble, if they can be found. There are only two of them, and two of us ought to be quite sufficient for recovering them, if they are in a predicament such as they were in the other day."
They argued the point with a good deal of vehemence, each insisting that the other should remain at camp, and that I should accompany the one of them who went to the rescue. It was plain as day, the whole situation: they were jealous of each other, but not of me!
Finally, just as we were concluding breakfast, the subject was referred to me for arbitration, and I was placed in an awkward predicament. I got out of it, though, by suggesting that I would be the one to remain at camp, and that Harry and Jack should start at once on the expedition.
"I agree with you," I said, "that two are sufficient for the purpose; and as I know you would prefer the expedition to loitering about the camp all day, and perhaps longer, you had better go."
The result of my turning the tables on them in this manner was that they both agreed that I ought to accompany them, which I did; and in a very few minutes after breakfast we were off across-country to the camp of the ladies. There we learned that they had started away about the middle of the forenoon in a southwesterly direction, accompanied by the fore-looper, who carried their rifles and extra ammunition. They told the manager that they would take a turn off to the southwest, and expected to be back by nightfall. They had not returned; neither had the fore-looper, nor any of the horses.
"They have their horses with them," I remarked, "and therefore cannot be in such a terrible predicament as they were the other day. On the other hand, having their horses and the fore-looper, it would appear that something serious has happened, since none of them have come in."
"Yes," said Jack, "it's no trivial matter, whatever it is. Perhaps they've been captured by a band of hostile natives; didn't you say there was one living in that direction?"
"Yes," I answered, with a good deal of alarm in my voice; "there's a petty chief, or king, as he calls himself, off in that direction, who is not at all friendly to white men. If they go into his country to hunt he either orders them out at once, or makes them pay very dearly for the privilege. I don't think his boundaries are within twenty-five or thirty miles of here, but there's no telling how far the ladies would ride; and, on the other hand, the king may have sent out a marauding-expedition that took them in."
"In case we find them—" said Jack, and then he paused.
"In case we find them," echoed Harry, "we'll go straight to his kraal and compel him to give up the captives. Isn't that so, Frank?"
"Yes," I replied, "in a general way that's so."
"What do you mean by 'a general way'?"
"Well, I mean this: bear in mind we are three white men, well armed, and capable of doing a good deal of fighting; but three of us, with all our weapons, might be over-matched on reaching his kraal, as we would be liable to be beset by two or three hundred natives, armed with spears, knob-kerries, and other native weapons. The odds in numbers would be terribly against us; and though we made every bullet tell, they would still have a large majority on their side after our ammunition was exhausted. It may be a case where diplomacy will be much more to our advantage than to pitch in and fight at once."
Jack and Harry agreed with me, and then the former remarked that we had better be on our way.
We carried a supply of food and water, and, as on the previous occasion, I had the forethought to take my brandy-flask. We took our bearing by compass toward the southwest, and for some distance were able to follow the spoor of the horses. The ground was dry and hard, and in many places the spoor was so indistinct that we frequently lost it; but by keeping the same direction we were generally able to pick it up again, and we did so without losing much time on the way.
Seven or eight miles from camp we came upon traces of a shower of rain the previous day; and as there were no signs of any spoor of horses upon it, we concluded that the shower must have fallen after our friends passed along. The country was open and undulating; there were clumps of bushes here and there, occasional patches of trees, and occasionally a solitary old tree standing alone, like a sentinel. Over a considerable part of the country there were numerous ant-hills: not the ordinary ant-hill of England or the United States, but a conical mound six or eight feet in height, erected by the labor of its tiny inhabitants, and so firmly built as to resist the effects of the weather.
We saw a few koodoo, elands, and other animals of the antelope order, but we had no time to go in pursuit of them. We held on in the general direction in which we had started, keeping a sharp eye out everywhere for anything which might guide us toward the objects of our search. The undulations of the plain increased; and after a time, as we crossed a ridge, we saw before us a valley of great width, and stretching out to right and left as far as the eye could reach. The valley was at least a mile wide, and to our surprise we saw what appeared to be a river or lake in the middle of it.
We drew rein on the crest of the ridge, to hold a consultation and determine what next to do.
"They can't very well have gone beyond this body of water," said Jack, "unless they made a wide detour, one way or the other, to flank it."
"No, I can't see how that is possible," I answered; "and, furthermore, it would be a very rash proceeding for them, as it would carry them much farther from their camp than it would be judicious for them to go. What do you think about it, Harry!"
"I really don't know what to think," was the reply; "I'm puzzled; but we sha'n't do any good by standing here. Let's ride on into the valley, and down to the edge of the water. Perhaps we may find something there that will give us information, or, at any rate, will hint to us what we want."
We acted upon Harry's suggestion, and rode on into the valley. Everywhere around us were the indications of a heavy rain—one of those tremendous downpours peculiar to the tropics all the world over. South Africa has its share, some parts being more favored than others; in fact, the rainfall is very unevenly distributed in that country, some portions getting much more than they want and others much less. With an even distribution of rain, South Africa would be a far more fertile country than it is.
A short distance before we reached the lake we caught sight of two buffaloes that were having a good time wallowing in a large puddle of mud and water. That is one of the buffalo's amusements: nothing delights him more than a wallow in the mud; and the more he can cause the stuff to adhere to his skin the better he seems to be satisfied.
When we reached the water's edge we noted the indications of the banks, and saw that the lake was of very recent formation. There did not seem to be any current to it, the water was very muddy, and there was not the slightest sign of any ripple in the sand on the shore, nor was there any streak of debris piled up there.
"I have it, boys," I said: "there has been a heavy rain, and perhaps a cloud-burst, just beyond here. Twenty-four hours ago this was as barren and dry as the plain that we have just crossed; the water has come in here with a rush and filled this up. Now the chances are that our friends had gone on beyond here before the rain and cloud-burst, and can't get back."
"Yes, that may be," said Harry; "but they could send the fore-looper to outflank the water somewhere and get away to camp."
We were intently regarding the water where it came in contact with the earth, and did not look up for some minutes. At length we raised our eyes and glanced over the water, which was perhaps half a mile across. Over toward the other shore we saw a little island, rounded on the top, and fairly well covered with trees. Our gaze naturally rested on this island, and as it did so we saw the flutter of something white upon it, exactly as we had seen the fluttering in the tree when the lions stood at its base.
Jack was the first to catch sight of the waving object; as he did so he flung his arms in the air, and said:
"There they are! There they are!"
We watched, and saw a repetition of the signal, and then we answered it with the best handkerchief that could be mustered in the party. We waved our hands and made all the demonstrations we could; and now the question arose how we could help them out of their trouble.
They led their horses out in front of the trees in such a way that we could see they were all there, and at the same time each of the three individuals was in full view. This assured us that no calamity had happened to them other than imprisonment in a storm.
"It is a pretty long job," said Jack, "to wade or swim this water with our horses; and besides there is the chance of crocodiles."
"I don't think there are any crocodiles here," I replied, "in this lake, which was probably formed since yesterday noon; but of course there's a possibility that some may have been brought down from a permanent lake or stream where they've been living. I confess that I don't exactly like the idea of undertaking to go through this water on horseback, or without a horse. If there should be a crocodile here, and he should take a notion to breakfast on one of us, it would be good-by to any more hunting in this life."
Jack looked suddenly around in the direction where we had seen the buffaloes wallowing in the mud. "Come on," he said; "I've got it. We'll shoot those buffaloes; I'll make a boat of their skins, and we'll paddle out to them!"
The idea seemed a good one, so Jack and I gave our horses to Harry to hold, while we stalked up close to the buffaloes and finished both of them. Then we out with our knives and skinned the beasts; or rather I did most of the skinning, while Jack went into a bunch of trees close by and cut some poles similar to those he had used in making his boat at our camp. It is unnecessary to describe how he did it, as the description would be practically a repetition of what the reader already knows. Within less than an hour we had made a small boat from the skins of those two buffaloes and the framework which Jack had set up. We made paddles by taking forked sticks and binding leaves across the intersection of their branches, so that they made a fair imitation of the blade of a paddle. The boat was not as large nor as handsome as the one Jack had previously made, but it answered its purpose admirably, and what more could be asked?
Jack took the provisions we had brought along, and the flask of brandy; there was no need of taking water, as there was more than a sufficient amount all around us. I promptly, and Harry reluctantly, conceded that Jack should be the Christopher Columbus of this expedition, and as soon as he had collected his cargo he started. Then the handkerchiefs on the island waved more rapidly than ever, and I could see that he would receive a warm welcome. Harry was rather sulky over the state of affairs; but he said nothing, for the reason, probably, that the situation was such that he had nothing to complain about.
Jack reached the island in safety, and from all we could observe he was received like a messenger of salvation. His first act was to hand over the provisions to the famishing party, not forgetting the flask of brandy which I had sent along. During the repast, which was not especially hurried, Jack learned from the lips of the ladies the story of their misadventure.
"This lake which you now see," said Mrs. Roberts, "was not here yesterday when we came. There's a depth of thirty or forty feet all around us; it shoals somewhat over toward the side where you came, but there is depth enough all around for anybody to swim. We came down into the valley yesterday, thinking we would cross over to the opposite side and then turn back again, just about making the length of our day's excursion. This island that we are now on is a hill in the midst of the valley—or was so yesterday.
"When we got to the other side of the valley, and were turning back, the rain came on. We had noticed a thunder-cloud off in the west, but didn't think it would amount to much. Five minutes before the rain came on us the sky was clear overhead, or at least partially so. The first outburst was tremendous, and drenched us completely. I suggested that we should take shelter among the trees on this hill, and so we rode our horses up here and got the best shelter we could.
"The rain kept on coming, fiercer and fiercer, for an hour or more; then it slackened somewhat, but only for a little while. All around us we could see patches of water covering the ground, but nothing at all like what there is here now.
"By and by the rain ceased entirely, the clouds seemed to blow away, and the sun struggled to make its appearance; but away among the hills to the west we could see that the clouds were very dense and hanging close to the ground. We had observed that condition of affairs some time before the rain came upon us, and remarked that they were having quite a storm over there, fifteen or twenty miles away.
"We were just getting ready to start back for our camp when we heard a rushing, roaring sound, somewhere up the valley. It was more like the sound of a railway-train than anything else I can describe, and certainly a very unusual sound in a country where there are no railways at all.
"We stood and looked in that direction, wondering what was coming; and before long we found out!
"A wall of water, ten or fifteen feet high, came pouring down and filling the whole valley. On and on it came, rushing like a torrent, and filling up all the space around us. Our hill became an island, with a depth of water around it enough to float a small steamboat!"
"Were there any wild animals caught in the flood and brought down by it?" queried Jack.
"Yes," said Mrs. Roberts, "there were a goodly number. There were several buffaloes, two or three elephants, and there were antelopes, elands, leopards, and I don't know what else. Come around here and I'll show you what came to us. The most of the animals were driven past us by the flood, and some made the shore and escaped; some, I am sure, were drowned, and a few took to our island for safety."
By this time they were at the other side of the island, and a sight was revealed which made Jack's eyes bulge out with astonishment. A leopard, a lion, and a boa-constrictor had taken refuge upon the little island where the ladies were! Miss Boland said that neither the leopard nor the lion manifested any hostility toward them, being so overcome with fear. "They were terribly frightened," said she, "and very much exhausted by their efforts at swimming. They came on the island almost together, and lay down where you see them without appearing to recognize each other's existence."
"I wanted to try an experiment with them," continued Miss Boland, "and see if they had not been completely tamed by their experiences; but Mrs. Roberts remarked that it was no time or place for experiments of that sort, and our best policy was to kill them before they got over their fright. So we shot them, and we walked up to within four paces of them to do so. They dropped down so peacefully that I rather think they liked being shot."
"How did you manage with the boa-constrictor?" queried Jack.
"Oh, we shot him too," said Miss Boland; "he was all used up with swimming, and was an easy prey to us. We fired at him simultaneously, putting two bullets through his head. He twisted about a great deal, but did not need any more shooting."
The experiences of the ladies with these wild animals, alarmed as they were by the freshet, is corroborated by that of other travelers in Africa, and also in other countries. Winwood Reade tells about being in Senegambia during a time of flood. He said his party, which was traveling by boat, came to a small island in the river; and on this island there were lying, huddled together, two lions, a leopard, some monkeys and hyenas, two antelopes, and a wild boar. They killed all of these animals without difficulty. None of them took to the water; the leopard and the monkeys made an attempt to escape by running up a tree.
I have a friend who was on a hunting-expedition on the island of Saugor at the time of the great cyclone at Calcutta, twenty odd years ago. Saugor Island was flooded, and my friend was forced to climb into a tree for safety. A tiger—a full-grown Asiatic tiger—sought shelter in the same tree, and for more than twenty hours tiger and man remained there, neither molesting the other. My friend had dropped his rifle in his haste to save himself from drowning, and therefore was unable to make any demonstrations against the tiger. As for the latter animal, he was so overcome by fear that all his natural ferocity was gone.
But to return to the castaways. The question now was how to get them off the island. They were all agreed that there was practically no danger from crocodiles; but at the same time there was a lingering fear that some might have come down the valley in the freshet, just as lizards come down with the rain. Jack suggested that the best plan would be for one of the ladies to get into the boat with him, and be brought over to the shore where we were standing. The boat could carry only two persons, and thus two trips would be required before both of them could be brought over. The fore-looper would follow in the third and last trip of the boat, and he would lead one horse, allowing him to swim through the water; and when the other two horses found they were to be left alone on the island, they would take to the water and follow.
This was exactly what happened, and in due time all were safely ferried over. All the party that had spent the night on the island presented a very dilapidated appearance, as there was no shelter save what the trees afforded, and there are very few trees in the world that can keep out an African rain. But though dilapidated in appearance, they were in good spirits; and now that their mishap was over, were ready to laugh about it, and thought it was not so bad after all.
"We were not as frightened," said Mrs. Roberts, "as we were when the lions had us up that tree; but I am frank to say we were by no means easy in our minds. There was the uncertainty as to what height the waters would attain, and until we found that they had ceased rising we were in quite a state of alarm."
While Jack was busy with his work of rescuing the castaways, Harry and I had hunted around for the dryest wood we could find; and we had no easy task of it, I assure you. We built a fire, on which we cooked the tongues of the two buffaloes; so that when the party had been ferried over to our side we had a hot lunch ready for them. They were not particularly hungry, having eaten the cold meat which Jack took to them; but a hot buffalo-tongue, fresh from the coals, is a delicacy which no one can refuse in South Africa, unless he has just gorged himself in imitation of an anaconda. We had a substantial feast all around, and then we mounted our horses and rode at a good pace to the ladies' camp.
We made very good time on our return-journey, as we did not stop to do any hunting on our way. We saw a herd of giraffes at quite a distance, and some scattered gemsbok and other members of the antelope family; but it was not considered worth while to pursue them.
When we reached the ladies' camp it was the intention of the three men of the party to leave immediately for their own wagons; but the manager told us that the cook had an ample lunch prepared, and, as the ladies urged us to stop, we did so, frankly telling them that we would consider it no breach of hospitality if they left us to ourselves.
Mrs. Roberts thanked us for our thoughtfulness in their behalf, and said that both she and Miss Boland would take advantage of our suggestion and excuse themselves; but before doing so they arranged to come to our camp the next day and go in pursuit of hippopotami. "We have not yet hunted hippos," said Mrs. Roberts, "and I'm sure the sport will be very interesting."
We finished our meal, and then went home. It was too late in the day to think of anything like hunting, and so we busied ourselves with a few preparations for the affair of the next day.
Jack was in great glee, and Harry correspondingly depressed, over the subject of the boat; as the craft was of Jack's design and construction, the honor and pleasure of accompanying our guests would be his, while Harry and I would be obliged to take a back seat. Harry felt so ugly about it that he suggested, privately, to me a wish that the boat could be smashed all to smithereens. I evaded the subject, and endeavored to divert his thoughts by asking what a smithereen is, and whether it is something to eat, wear, or play with. This set him laughing, and he forgot his jealousy, at least for the moment.
One of our oxen died just about nightfall, and we had his carcass dragged out of the kraal and put on a ridge where it would afford a good chance for shooting. There was a hollow at one side, and a person crouched in this hollow would have the carcass between himself and the sky. We went to bed soon after sunset, so as to lay in a good stock of sleep before the lions came around to make a meal from the remains of the ox.
We were tired enough to go to sleep immediately; and the lions treated us very kindly, as they did not show up until about three o'clock in the morning. Then the manager came and waked us with the information that there was a group of lions at the carcass. He could hear them distinctly, growling and snarling in their leonine way, and he thought there were several of them, judging by the noise they made.
We took our heavy rifles and crept out to the spot we had previously selected as a good firing-point. Crouching in the hollow, or rather in the hole which we had ordered the Kafirs to dig, we had a fine position—that is, fine in every way except in case the lions should conclude to attack us. In that event it would not have been a bit fine.
I was standing at the right of our line as we faced the target—that is, the body of the ox—and it was agreed that I was to have the first fire. We waited several minutes before I had a chance; then a fine large lion stood up, and I could see his entire outline against the sky beyond the ridge. We had put pieces of white paper on our guns, so as to be able to see the foresights, and we found the arrangement worked very well. I got a good bead on the lion, and fired; he fell, but gave a tremendous roar in so doing. Whether he was killed or only wounded I was unable to say; but by the speedy cessation of the roar I thought that the former was the case.
It was Harry's turn next, and I sat down on the edge of the hole, just behind him. I think he waited a good ten minutes, and then he had a chance for a shot very much like mine, and with the same result. His animal disappeared, and there was some roaring afterward, which indicated either that he had not made a fatal shot, or there were more lions about.
Very soon it was revealed that there were more lions, or else the first ones had not received their coup de grâce. It was now Jack's turn, and Harry and I expressed a wish that he might bring down a lion, so as to make the honors of the affair equal. Jack watched and waited patiently, even longer than we had waited; but his patience had its reward: he got a good shot at a lion, and evidently bowled him over, as we heard no more noise in that direction. After waiting a quarter of an hour or so we went back to our tent to sleep again till morning.
When we got up and came out our eyes met a surprising sight.
As soon as it was fairly daylight our people went out and surveyed the scene of the slaughter during the night. They found two lions, dead, a little distance away from the carcass of the ox which had been used as a bait; and a very effective one it had proved. They were about returning to camp, dragging the bodies of the lions, when they discovered a trail of blood leading off down the slope of the ridge. Following this for a quarter of a mile, they came to the body of a lioness; and a large one she was. By her side were two lion cubs—pugnacious little fellows, that snarled and bit ferociously at the men as they attempted to pick them up. The men persisted, however, and the little fellows were brought to camp in the arms of two of the Kafirs. The carcasses of the lioness and the two lions were also dragged up to the kraal, to give us an opportunity of seeing the beasts before their skins were removed. A very fine lot of game they were.
We immediately ordered the skins removed, and the carcasses dragged away to where the remains of the ox were lying, in order to give the jackals and hyenas a chance at them. As for the cubs, Jack devised a nursing-apparatus for them, by means of a beer-bottle filled with milk, and a piece of leather fastened in the mouth of it. We found the cubs did not live on milk alone, as they ate with avidity some raw meat which was given to them. They looked more like overgrown kittens than anything else I can describe. Imagine a kitten two months old as large as a good-sized cat, but retaining the kittenish appearance, and you have a good idea of these lion cubs.
Of course we had little else to look at and think of besides these cubs until our lady friends arrived. When they came the interest in the cubs increased, and exclamations of wonder and admiration filled the air. After the vocabulary of interjections had been pretty well exhausted, Mrs. Roberts asked what we were going to do with our prizes.
"Really," I answered, "that's a subject to which none of us have given any thought. I don't know what we can do with them; 'twould be rather nice to take them back to the Cape, but I don't know how the market is for young lions at present. We'll keep them awhile, and will probably be tired of them soon enough."
"Wouldn't they make a good addition to Miss Boland's menagerie?" queried Jack. "I wonder how they would get along with the young rhinoceros? By the way, Miss Boland, what is the latest intelligence of your rhinoceros?"
"We have named him Rhino," replied Miss Boland, "and he has been getting along very well. His manners are not at all sociable, but he has an excellent appetite; I haven't seen the least sign of indigestion in him since he was brought to camp. We feed him on milk, which is supplied by one of the goats; and we give him a variety of green food such as the rhinoceros is supposed to live upon. Our manager says Rhino eats his weight every day, and would eat as much more if he could get it. I've been trying to get on friendly terms with him, but he doesn't seem to care for anybody or anything. One of the Kafirs has been assigned to act as Rhino's attendant, but the creature treats him with the same disdain as he treats everybody else."
"Would you like to take these cubs as an addition to your menagerie?" queried Jack.
"Oh, I'll take them with pleasure," was the reply; "a rhinoceros and two lions will make a very good start for a show—worth sixpence at least to go inside to see them; and just imagine how I can stand up before the audience and say, 'Ladies and Gentlemen: These are animals that I caught myself in Africa;' and then I can go on and tell all about how I had a desperate fight with the lion and lioness from whom I took the cubs. I can remove my glove and show this scar—which was made by a wait-a-bit thorn—as the scar of the wound that the lion gave me. Oh, I think I shall have a splendid menagerie, and I am very much obliged to you."
I was very glad that Jack made the offer and enabled us to get rid of the little brutes. Harry's face was covered with frowns because Jack had got ahead of him in giving our prizes away. I do not believe we should have kept the lions many days—certainly not after leaving that place and trekking away elsewhere. A pet lion is not an agreeable companion for a gentleman, and as for taking them back to Durban in the hope of selling them, the scheme would have been ridiculous. I had no idea that the ladies would keep the creatures long, but they would certainly enjoy the possession of them more than we should have done.
After a brief halt at our camp the whole party proceeded to the river, where the hippopotamus-hunt was to take place. We left our horses half a mile or so back from the water, in the care of the Kafirs, and finished our journey on foot.
The boat was exactly where we had left it. Jack brought it around to a convenient place at the bank, and then said he could take one of the ladies with his native paddlers, but was doubtful about taking the two of them.
There was an amiable contention between our fair visitors as to which should have the first opportunity of spearing a hippo. It was finally settled that Mrs. Roberts should take the first chance, and she thereupon stepped into the boat and followed Jack's instructions. I should have remarked before that they came, not on their side-saddles, but on their man-fashion saddles, and were habited in their hunting-costumes, which have already been described. It was a visit of work and not of ceremony, and they were dressed accordingly.
The boat pulled out into the stream, where the heads of several hippos were now and then visible, and also the heads of an equal or greater number of crocodiles. The rest of us remained on the bank, walking slowly downward, so as to keep constantly opposite the boat, which drifted with the current, aided now and then by a perfectly silent stroke of a paddle. Jack had equipped Mrs. Roberts with a hippopotamus-spear, and stood close at her side, peering over the bow of the boat.
It was some time before a good chance was presented for using the spear; several hippos came up and looked at the boat, but somehow they seemed a little wary, and did not allow their curiosity to get altogether the better of their judgment. But all things come to him who waits, and the hippos came in due time to our waiting friends. A good-sized hippo paddled up alongside the boat, and then turned, as if he would cross its bow. As he did so his back was just at the surface, and presented a splendid mark for the spears.
"Now!" said Jack to Mrs. Roberts; and she thrust the spear with all her force into the back of the amphibious animal below her. At the same time Jack launched another spear into the back of the beast, to make entirely certain that he was secure.
Then the boat was paddled rapidly to the shore, the lines attached to the spears were thrown to us, and with a dozen Kafirs trailing away with all their strength, the poor hippo at the other end had little chance. He swam and whirled about, but it was no use. Nearer and nearer he came to the shore, and when the proper time arrived a rope was passed around him and firmly fastened, and he was dragged up on the land.
HIPPOPOTAMUS HUNT.
HIPPOPOTAMUS HUNT.
Then there was more rejoicing, and congratulations all around were showered upon Mrs. Roberts. She protested that the animal was not her prize, it having been speared by Mr. Delafield. That gentleman gallantly called her attention to the rule of hunting in Africa—that the first shot is the counting one. "You threw the first spear into the hippo," said he, "and therefore the game is yours. The spear that I threw was simply a precautionary one; but yours is just as firmly imbedded as mine, and probably would have secured him without any assistance."
"Very well," said Mrs. Roberts; "I won't make any dispute about it, as I know you will all vote me down, even if I am right. Now, Miss Boland, it's your turn."
When everything was ready, Miss Boland stepped into the boat, accompanied, as had been Mrs. Roberts, by Jack and the paddlers. The same course was adopted as before, the boat going farther down the stream, in order to get away from the scene of the late commotion. There was the same period of watching and waiting for a hippo to come along, and the same result—that one came along in time. Miss Boland had been duly instructed as to the necessity of driving the spear or harpoon well into the flesh of the animal. When the time came to throw the spear she bent all her energies to it, and drove the weapon deep into the flesh of the prey at which it was aimed. In doing so she lost her balance and fell overboard into the river!
A cry of horror arose from the bank where we stood, and the faces of all of us became the complexion of marble. A woman struggling in the river! The river full of crocodiles! Can anything more horrible be imagined?
Jack gave the order for the paddlers to turn the boat; and luckily they paddled in the right direction, and whirled the craft so as to bring the bow directly over Miss Boland. Jack braced himself, reached down, and clutched her garments between the shoulders. As he did so he glanced along the water, and saw several crocodiles coming in his direction! There was no chance for deliberation or politeness; he clutched Miss Boland by the arms, and dragged her over the side of the boat and into a place of safety. It was all the work of an instant—not literally an instant, but I think not more than a minute. Miss Boland said afterward that it was all done so quickly that she had not time to get frightened, though she did think of the crocodiles while she was in the water.
The crocodiles came around the boat, and were evidently disappointed, if one might judge by their manner. As soon as the fair passenger was rescued, the boat was paddled to the shore, the line attached to the hippo being paid out as usual. The shore was reached in safety, and Miss Boland, dripping with water, stepped somewhat unsteadily to the ground. Having reached the firm earth, she threw her arms around Mrs. Roberts, and then the two of them sat down on a bunch of reeds and fainted. They were perfectly right to do so, as the danger was all over.
The hippo was dragged ashore as the first one had been. When the ladies came to themselves they concluded that they did not want any more hippo-hunting that day. We returned to camp as quickly as we could; the ladies declined our invitation to remain for luncheon, but went to their own quarters immediately.
Of course we had a good deal to say to one another about the incidents of the day, and particularly concerning the mishap, which might have been horribly serious.
"But for your quickness, and the strength of your arms," said Harry, addressing Jack, "I'm afraid our lady friend would have been food for the crocodiles. What a horrible thought!"
"Yes, indeed," said Jack; "I'm so glad I didn't have time to think; had there been any opportunity whatever for exercising my thoughts, I'm afraid I should have been paralyzed at the situation."
"It is just possible," I added, "that the crocodiles which were swimming so rapidly toward the boat were doing so from curiosity, and not with the idea that something which they could catch was there."
"Yes, that's barely possible," said Harry; "let us suppose it was the case, and dismiss the subject; I don't like to think of it."
"Nor I," said Jack.
I added, "Nor I."
So by mutual consent we put the river and the hippos, and all incidents connected with them, out of our thoughts. We discussed buffaloes and elephants and other game, and at length I suggested that we had better be moving from where we were.
"Why so!" queried Jack, and Harry echoed the inquiry.
"Well," I answered, "because we have used up most of the game in this neighborhood; we've had no really good shooting for several days. Killing hippos is not first-class hunting, as you know. Neither is killing lions at night; true, their skins are worth something, but not very much, and it's a kind of hunting that I don't care for particularly. Some skill is required, it is true, but I don't like the idea of concealing myself in a hole in the ground near the carcass of an animal that has been put out as bait. Of course, if any lions come along we'll take them in, but I would just as lief they would stay away.
"Now, as to moving away from here: I was thinking last night that we had better turn off to the west, where the river is much smaller than it is here, and there are plenty of good fording-places. Then we can cross it and work away to the north, until we get into what looks to be a good hunting-ground. There we can outspan and make a kraal."
Jack and Harry did not take kindly to my suggestion; they insisted that the shooting was still good enough, although they were obliged to admit that it was by no means equal to what we found on our arrival. All the time they were talking my mind was at work, and I thought I could see the reason for their wishing to remain. But I did not give any hint of what was uppermost in my thoughts, and though I held out promises of rare sport to the north of the river, I was unable to convince them. As all our movements were determined by a majority vote, I was left in the lurch, and obliged to assent to remaining a while longer where we were.
The manager reported certain little repairs necessary to the wagons, and we devoted the afternoon to them. At supper in the evening we discussed our plans for the next day, and ordered runners to go out and look for elephants and buffaloes in the forests where we had previously found them. I had little expectation that any would be discovered, as it is not generally the habit of these animals to remain long in a place where they have been disturbed.
We had just finished breakfast on the following morning when our manager came to the tent with a letter in his hand.
"The post has just arrived," said he, "and I bring a letter which you gentlemen can divide among you."
I took the letter from the manager's hands, and found that it was addressed on the envelope, "Messrs. Manson, Delafield, and Lawrence. In Camp near Luranga River." It bore no postmark, and I readily perceived that it had not come through regular course of mail. Before opening it I surmised its origin.
The letter was from Mrs. Roberts and Miss Boland; or rather it was from Mrs. Roberts, as her name alone was signed to it. It announced that they had just determined to make a movement to the north, and their men were at that moment inspanning the oxen. "We don't know exactly where we shall go," the letter said, "but somewhere to the north of the river, where we can find a good region for hunting. We are greatly obliged to you gentlemen for the kindness you have shown us, and should it ever be in our power to reciprocate, it will give us great pleasure to do so. Our manager says it will be three or four hours before we will be under way, and that gives us time to send this letter to you."
"Any answer?" the manager asked.
"We must send them an answer, certainly," said Jack. "Frank, sit down and drop them a note."
"Yes," said Harry, "politeness requires that we shall respond to it. By all means, Frank, write something."
Thus impelled, I opened my despatch-box and penned a hasty note, acknowledging the receipt of their missive, and hoping they would have a successful journey to the north of the river, and find an abundance of game. I added the echo of their expression of satisfaction at having met us, and also the hope that we might again be of service to them. I read it over to my friends and hastily sealed it, and despatched it by the messenger, a Kafir boy, who could travel about as fast across-country as an able-bodied horse.
After the boy had gone I remarked that it was a great pity we were to lose our neighbors.
"I don't see why we should lose them," said Jack; "let's inspan, and go in the same direction!"
"Why, I thought you and Harry voted to remain here; didn't you?" I remarked.
"Yes," said Jack; "I did think last night that there was no use in our hurrying away, but later on I thought over what you said about the scarcity of game, and have concluded that it would be a good plan to move on."
"Yes, and so have I," said Harry; "I didn't realize the full force of your remarks last night, but I've been thinking it over, and see very plainly that we've skinned out this spot and ought to go somewhere else. I suggest that we reconsider our vote of last night, and bring the subject again before parliament."
I could not help laughing at their change of view. When my laugh was over I assumed a serious expression, and put the question to vote. Harry and Jack were as unanimous now for moving on as they were for remaining in situ the night before.
So the order was given for inspanning. Jack suggested that we had better send down to the river and save the boat which he had constructed. "We needn't bother about the frame," said he, "as I can get up another one. I'll go down with the Kafirs, take the boat to pieces, and bring away the skins; the skin covering is all we want; it can be folded up and carried in a small space."
Away went Jack with three or four of the Kafirs, and in an hour or so he was back at the camp with the essential portion of his boat. The work of inspanning was rather slow; it is always much slower when you have been in camp for several or many days than when you are moving steadily day after day. We had two wagons, and nine pairs of oxen to each wagon. To yoke up eighteen pairs of oxen is no small job, even when the animals are under thorough discipline; when they are in a condition bordering on wildness it is a great deal worse.
I remember, in my younger days, on the American plains, I used to wonder why the teamsters with the prairie-schooners of those times were so fearfully profane in their talk. I did not wonder any more when I had seen them at work yoking up their teams. A man was pointed out to me once in Leavenworth, Kan., as a prodigy of goodness, because he had driven a five-yoke team from Leavenworth to Salt Lake City and back without uttering a single oath. But there was a sequel to the story: the man was deaf and dumb!
It was noon, and a little after, before we got under way. We made about six miles that afternoon, and then outspanned at the edge of the river's valley, where there was a good supply of water for the cattle, and fairly good grazing-ground. Next morning we were under way in good season; and just before the wagons started we three hunters rode on ahead, partly to spy out the land and partly to see if we could pick up any game. We found two straggling buffaloes, and managed to shoot both of them. They were small, but welcome, and Jack rode back to the wagons to show the party the route they could take in order to pass near where the buffaloes were, and gather up the meat and the hides. We made about fifteen miles that day, outspanning again near the river's valley, and in a very good location.
Soon after going into camp we discovered a herd of half a dozen elands a mile or so to the westward. We spread out in different directions, so as to encircle them, and thereby increase our chances of bringing down at least one of the number. Harry secured one of them, and Jack another; I returned empty-handed from the chase, but I did not care much for that, as the two elands, added to the two buffaloes, gave us a plentiful supply of meat. We saw nothing of our lady friends or their wagons, and concluded that they must have gone farther to the west before crossing the river. Harry and Jack seemed to be a good deal exercised as to the direction they had taken, and I exercised them a good deal more by suggesting that after sending the note to us they had possibly changed their minds and traveled south instead of north. "You know," I added, "that it is a woman's privilege to change her mind, and what better opportunity could they have than now?"
I watched their faces as I spoke, and could distinctly see that both of them turned decidedly pale. The idea that Miss Boland could have been so deceitful as all that was something to drive the poor fellows wild with indignation. They were speechless for two or three minutes, but at last Jack broke the silence by declaring that my idea was an absurd one. He did not believe a word of it for a moment, and would not believe it until he had positive proof. "They said distinctly," he added, "that they were going to cross the river and proceed northward, and I don't believe they would tell a lie."
"It isn't a question of lying," I said; "it is simply that of a change of mind. People don't generally call that a falsehood. Why, you yourself, Jack, the night before we received the note from them, believed in staying where we were, and said so emphatically; the next morning you changed your mind. It wouldn't be right for me to accuse you of falsehood in so doing."
Gradually the conversation took a chaffing tone, and my companions became better-tempered. We slept well, after a hearty supper, and the next morning the three of us went out to find a good place for fording the river. We found one—a place where the river was quite broad and shallow, with a good sandy bottom, and the water about four feet in depth. The manager was doubtful as to the ability of the teams to pull the wagons through; so, by way of precaution, before the first wagon entered he took five yokes of oxen from the other wagon and hitched them on in front of the nine pairs that constituted the team; then, with a great deal of shouting, swearing in half a dozen languages, and a vigorous use of whips and sticks, the team entered the water. It was no small matter to keep the leaders in the way they should go, but the fore-looper, with three or four Kafirs to assist him, managed to do so. It was a pretty hard pull, but they got through all right; the oxen wanted to stop and breathe in midstream, but that could not be allowed, as the wheels would sink in the sand, and it would be a matter of extreme difficulty to start again.
The second wagon was brought over in the same way as the first, with five yokes of oxen taken from the team of the first wagon, making fourteen yokes in all. This practice is a very common one in South African travel, just as it used to be on the American plains. Sometimes the crossings of the rivers here are so bad that it is necessary to unload everything out of the wagons, and carry it across on men's heads or in boats. In many of the rivers the bottom is rocky, being filled with boulders of all sizes. They make a very bad crossing, because they offer miserable foothold to the oxen, and are equally bad footing to men. In crossing one of these stony rivers in my first trip up-country, I slipped and fell at full length in the middle of a swift current, in consequence of having stepped on a boulder which turned under my feet. I was carrying a gun and my suit of clothes at the time; gun and clothes went into the water; but happily I saved both.
After getting safely over the river and putting everything in order, we took a course about due north, uncertain how long we would continue it. Harry, Jack, and I scoured the country ahead of the wagons in order to pick up whatever game might be in our way, and we managed to keep the party well supplied with meat.
Our company on its march was a picturesque sight. First came the fore-looper on horseback, indicating the route which the wagons should take; it is the fore-looper's duty to select the way, and he must be able to take in a considerable range of country at a single glance. Then came the wagons, each with its nine span of oxen, and behind the second wagon was the loose extra stock of oxen and horses—though generally there are no extras of the latter, all the horses in the outfit being saddled and ridden by somebody. The manager rides here and there along the line, watching and directing everything, and using very emphatic language when he has occasion to address any of his inferiors. The rear is brought up by the after-rider, whose duty it is to prevent men and cattle from straggling or from falling behind.
The reader will see that there is thus a good deal of military formality about the composition of an African train, and such is necessarily the case. The fore-looper is the advance-guard, the after-rider the rear-guard, the wagons and their teams the army, the loose stock the commissary-train, and the manager the general in command.
We found the country to the north of the river decidedly hilly—much more so than the southern side. Climbing hills was a serious matter, as it required a great deal of shouting and flogging to accomplish it. On the other hand, descending hills was nearly as bad; and when it came to accidents those of the descents were more numerous than those of the ascents. One hill that we descended came near wrecking one of the wagons. We cut down a small tree and tied it to the rear of the wagon to make a drag; then we started the oxen; but the drag was insufficient, and the wagon pushed ahead, forcing the oxen before it. They quickened their pace to a trot, and then to a run.
In going down the descent the oxen turned along the side of the hill, which brought the wheels on one side of the wagon much higher than those on the other. The wagon tipped over, or rather would have done so had it not come against a tree just as it was overturning, and brought everything up all standing. The chains that held the first four yokes of oxen were broken, and away the creatures went at a tearing pace, until they were stopped by the fore-looper half a mile away.
We had a variety of mishaps while traveling in the hilly country, but happily none of them were serious. After two days of this sort of thing we came out into an open region, where the country was fairly level, but there was a scarcity of water, as the streams were small and far apart. We kept on through this open region till we came near the Divargo River; at any rate, it is called a river, though it is hardly anything more than a small brook. As the valley of the river afforded good pasturage for our oxen, and the stream itself would supply us with water, we decided to form a kraal in its neighborhood.
Signs of game were plentiful, and the natives that came into the camp reported an abundance of elephants and buffaloes. While looking about for a good place for a camp, Harry stumbled upon a fine spring of water coming out of a hillside at the edge of the valley, and of course that settled the question at once.
We outspanned there, and all hands went to work industriously to make a kraal. Not only did the natives report plenty of elephants and buffaloes, but they also reported giraffes, elands, gemsbok, blesbok, and lions. The lions were the fellows that we were obliged to build a kraal against, all the other animals named giving us a wide berth.
The next morning after forming our camp we started in on our hunting-work—first after elephants, then after buffaloes, and then after smaller game. We had very good success, as we brought down three elephants and two buffaloes the first day, and all the elephants were good-sized tuskers.
The second day we were not so fortunate, as we secured only two elephants, the herd having become shy on account of the devastation in their midst the day before. Still, as sport goes, that was very good work, and we returned to camp in fairly buoyant spirits.
Soon after we arrived our manager came to us and said several natives had been in the camp a short time before and reported two hunters camped some five or six miles to the westward of us. He added the important information that these hunters were women, whereupon Jack and Harry took a look at the sun, to see whether there was time to ride over to the camp and back again before dark. Harry proposed that we should go at once on the visit; but I suggested that it was rather late in the day for a call, and besides, it might look like rushing matters a bit if we started out directly from our own camp with the object of visiting them.
"It would be better," I said, "to hunt in that direction, and come upon them 'by accident.' Don't you think so?"
"No, I don't," replied Harry; "I think it would be showing a greater respect to them for us to take the trouble of saddling our horses and going purposely to their kraal, instead of ignoring them until such time as we 'happen' upon them. They will learn from the natives that we are here, just as we have learned about them."
"I agree with Harry," said Jack; "but it's too late in the afternoon for us to visit them to-day; we can start out in the morning and ride over there."
"Well, that will do," said Harry; "it certainly is rather late in the day; if we were ready to start this minute we couldn't get there and back again before dark unless we limited our call to about five minutes, and that wouldn't do."
"You may be sure it wouldn't," said Jack; "when I call upon them I don't want to be cut short on five minutes."
It was agreed all around that we should make a visit to the ladies the next morning, and with that understanding everybody was cheerful. We had a substantial supper, and went to bed early. All were up in good season the next morning, and my companions were decidedly uneasy all the time that intervened between their waking and the saddling of the horses after breakfast. As we mounted and rode away I suggested that we had better ride slowly, as the distance was short, and we did not want to get there too early in the morning; the others assented, and we jogged on at a slow pace. We had several opportunities for shooting game while on the way, but resisted temptation, since a yielding to it would have involved loss of time. In due time we came in sight of the camp, and rode slowly up to it; the manager came forward to meet us, and informed us, to our dismay, that the ladies had taken an early start and gone out hunting.
"Which way did they go?" queried Jack.
"They went toward the northwest," replied the manager, "where the natives reported a herd of buffaloes. The after-rider went with them on horseback, and half a dozen Kafirs followed on foot. I think," he continued, "that you will have no difficulty in finding them, as they will be sure to be in the vicinity of the herd of buffaloes."
We thanked him for the information, and then rode away in the direction which he indicated. When an intervening ridge shut out the sight of the camp, we halted and held a council. I was of the opinion that we had better leave the ladies to themselves, and not interfere with their hunting for the day, but was speedily overruled by my companions, who outvoted me two to one. They had the argument on their side, I had to confess, and therefore I yielded with very little hesitation.
"They've been getting into scrapes lately," said Jack, "and the chances are even that they'll get into one to-day. If we go where they are we may be able to pull them out of a difficulty, which we could not do if we went on in an entirely different direction. We need not interfere with their hunting at all; if they can kill the entire herd let them do so, but I imagine there won't be very much diminution of it after they have had their fill of buffalo-shooting."
As soon as the question was decided we hurried on toward the northwest. We had gone about six miles when we saw ahead of us a cloud of dust, and knew that it was the locality of the herd. The ground was open and undulating; scattered mimosa and other trees dotted the region, but they were not sufficiently numerous to afford cover or shelter to any great extent; neither did they impede the view.
"There comes the herd!" shouted Jack, as he saw the cloud of dust. "I'll bet our friends are just behind it, and having a merry time."
"The herd is coming this way at full speed," said Harry; "how rapidly that dust-cloud approaches!"
We all rose in our stirrups and looked intently in the direction of the dust; very soon I made out that the herd stretched across the plain to a considerable extent, and, according to the indications, it contained a goodly number of animals. It was certain that we would have plenty of sport without interfering with that of our neighbors.
"Stop! What is that?" I exclaimed. "Just look in front of the herd, past that mimosa-tree with a bush at its base!"
"Yes, just look!" said Jack. "My God, the hunters are being hunted!"
TURNING THE CHARGE OF THE BUFFALOES.
TURNING THE CHARGE OF THE BUFFALOES.
Sure enough, that was the case. We could see the herd of buffaloes advancing at full speed, and in front of them—not more than two hundred yards in advance—were three individuals on horseback, riding at a gallop away from the herd! The situation was plain: the buffaloes had charged upon the three riders, and were pursuing them to the best of their ability.
"If anybody falls, death is certain," said Jack, "as that herd would trample the life out of one in a very few minutes. The lives of riders and horses are at stake; a single misstep, and the fall would be terrible. Let us ride forward and turn the herd, if it is possible to do so."
We went ahead at a gallop. Very soon we passed the fleeing riders, and just as we did so one of their horses plunged his foot into a hole and fell headlong! There was no time to stop to render assistance; all depended upon heading off that ruck of infuriated animals, that was coming on with the force of an avalanche.
We shouted, and waved our hands in the air; and then, gripping our faithful Winchesters, which we had brought along, we poured shot after shot, not at the herd, but directly over it. Had we fired at the animals and wounded any of them, we should have increased their fury; firing above them was the only way to intimidate them.
Our plan was successful: the leaders of the herd slackened their speed, and then veered away to the left. The others naturally followed the course of their leaders, and in less time than it takes me to tell the story the direction of that animate tornado was changed. The speed of the herd was but little diminished, but the course was changed about a quarter of a circle, which was amply sufficient for our purposes.
Under other circumstances we should have rushed in and had glorious sport among that mass of buffaloes, but our attentions were needed elsewhere. We wheeled about and saw the group of our friends where the one mentioned had fallen, and rode as quickly as possible to the place where they were. When we reached it we found that the victim of the fall was Miss Boland; but fortunately, with the exception of a few bruises, she was not injured. Mrs. Roberts and the after-rider had turned back to her assistance as soon as they discovered her fall, believing that we would be able to turn their pursuers either to the left or the right.
Mrs. Roberts was standing over Miss Boland, the latter being in a half-fainting condition. Fortunately I had brought along the brandy-flask which has heretofore been mentioned, and was able to administer a restorative dose to the patient.
In a little while the lady was able to mount her horse, and then we rode slowly toward their camp.
Harry obtained a place by Miss Boland's side, Jack rode close behind them with Mrs. Roberts, and I brought up the rear with the after-rider as my companion. From him I learned the particulars of the affair, which were about as follows:
"We had no difficulty in finding the herd," said he, "as it was scattered over quite a bit of land, where the buffaloes were grazing. We rode directly at them, the wind being favorable to us; and when within perhaps fifty yards the ladies drew up and fired, each one selecting a medium-sized cow as her target.
"The moment the first shot was fired some of the old bulls in the herd gave a peculiar cry or bellow, which brought all the animals together, with the exception of the two cows, that had been severely wounded and were unable to move quickly. The whole herd acted like a regiment of well-trained soldiers, all running toward the center, where these old bulls were. We thought they would try to run away, but they did not do anything of the kind: they pawed the earth and bellowed repeatedly, and then, as if by word of command, they all started straight toward us. We turned and ran, well knowing that if they once overtook us our deaths would be certain. That was the time you saw us, and you certainly saved the life of Miss Boland, if not the lives of all three. If you had been two minutes later she would surely have been trampled to death; and if our horses had fallen as hers did our fate would have been the same."
With the exception of my conversation with the after-rider, our journey homeward was a silent one. Miss Boland was unable to talk, much to Harry's disappointment, while Mrs. Roberts could do little better than answer in monosyllables to Jack's remarks.
When the party reached the kraal we assisted the ladies to dismount, and I, as the self-appointed master of ceremonies, told them to go to their tents at once, and we should see them the next day.
Miss Boland nodded assent, as she could not speak and was barely able to stand. Mrs. Roberts shook each of us fervently by the hand, and said:
"We owe our lives to you, gentlemen. Had it not been for you our fate would have been sealed. I can't say more now; good-by."
With that she took Miss Boland by the arm, and the two disappeared. We remained a few minutes outside the kraal, talking with the manager, and then mounted and rode away to our own camp.
By the time we reached it it was past noon, and we were hungry. The cook had not expected us, and consequently had made no preparations for luncheon; but that did not trouble us much, as a few slices of meat—good-sized slices—with some bread left over from breakfast, were sufficient for us. We discussed the events of the morning, and agreed that it was no exaggeration for Mrs. Roberts to say we had saved the lives of herself and Miss Boland.