22 A HUNTER'S WANDERINGS ch. 



trousers, and veldt shoes, as I had ridden away from 

 the waggon without my coat. However, lying on 

 my back, with my felt hat for a pillow, I put the 

 saddle over my chest and closed my eyes in vain hope 

 that I should soon fall asleep and forget my cares ; 

 vain indeed, for the bitter cold crept in gradually 

 and stealthily Irom my feet upwards, till I was 

 soon shivering from head to foot as if my very life 

 depended on it. After having worlced hard at this 

 unpleasant exercise for a couple of hours or more, 

 watching the moon all the time, and cursing its 

 tardy pace, I could stand it no longer ; so, getting up 

 with difficulty — for I was regularly stiffened by the 

 cold — I ran backwards and forwards to a tree at a 

 short distance until I was again warm, when I once 

 more lay down ; and in this manner the weary hours 

 wore away till day dawned. During the night a 

 couple of hyenas passed close to me, enlivening the 

 silence with their dismal bowlings. I have often 

 thought since that they must have been on their way 

 to drink, perhaps at some pit or spring not far oft ; 

 how 1 wished that I had known where ! I will take 

 this opportunity of saying that the howl of the 

 African hyai^na is about the most mournful and weird- 

 like sounci in nature, being a sort of prolonged groan, 

 rising in cadence till it ends in a shriek ; they only 

 laugh when enjoying a good feed. 



At first dawn of day I once more saddled up and 

 rode in the same direction as before. My poor horse 

 was so tired and thirsty that he would only go at a 

 very slow pace ; so I did not make much progress. 

 On coming to a high tree I stopped and climbed up 

 it, and looked about me to try and recognise some 

 landmark. On every side the country was covered 

 with forest, and in the distance were several low 



