VIII A BEAUTIFUL VIEW 143 



he wanted to work for one of us, and after a good 

 deal of interpreting, engaged to follow my fortunes 

 for three months, for the consideration of a cotton 

 blanket, to be paid at the end of that time. He was 

 a fine, broad-shouldered fellow, as black as ebony, 

 always good-tempered and willing, and proved a most 

 excellent servant. Like most of the natives who 

 inhabit the fertile banks of the Zambesi, he was fat 

 and sleek, and presented a strong contrast to my 

 spare-made, sinewy Makalakas and Masaras. At the 

 spot where we camped that night, the river was more 

 than a mile broad, running over a shallow rocky bed, 

 and presenting the appearance of a rapid, though no 

 rocks were apparent above its surface. As I looked 

 across this vast expanse of rippling broken water, the 

 crest of every tiny wave gilded by the rays of the 

 setting sun, I thought it one of the most perfect of 

 the many beautiful views I had yet seen along the 

 banks of the Zambesi. 



Early on the morning of the following day, as we 

 were passing through a patch of terribly dense jungle 

 that came down to the water, we cut the fresh spoor 

 of three elephant bulls, and following it, all but got 

 up to them (in fact, I had just caught a glimpse of 

 the hind-quarters of one), when the wind suddenly 

 veering, they smelt us, and were off in the twinkling 

 of an eye ; of course we ran on the spoor, but in 

 such jungle it was hopeless, for whereas they crashed 

 down all before them, we had our work cut out to 

 force a passage at all, and so had to give it up as a 

 bad job, cursing the adverse fate that had, as it were, 

 dashed the cup from our very lips, for had the wind 

 remained favourable but a few moments longer, we 

 might have crept close up to them, and obtained a 

 splendid standing shot. In the afternoon Mr. G. 



