452 A HUNTER'S WANDERINGS ch. 



river, although we saw recent traces of hippopotami, 

 we came across none of the animals themselves. 



Towards evening reaching a large range of hills 

 running east and west, and, cutting the Umfule at 

 right angles, we got into a perfect labyrinth of rocky 

 ravines anci gorges, through which we toiled till 

 sundown, eventually camping on the bank of a small 

 stream at some distance from the main river. 



That evening we discussed the situation. We 

 appeared to be getting into a country which became 

 day by day more impracticable and toilsome, and 

 the farther we advanced the scarcer game seemed to 

 become, which was the most important consicieration 

 of all, for our Kafirs were entirely ciependent upon 

 our guns for their daily food, and we ourselves had 

 but a very small supply of rice and flour. 



We knew nothing of the country, nor did our 

 Kafirs, so that one direction was as good as another, 

 always excepting the way we had come ; for having 

 said when we left the waggons that we should be 

 away at least a month, we could not, for very shame, 

 go back at the end of a week and say we had been 

 driven out ot the wilderness, through inability to 

 obtain food, — we who for so many years had always 

 lived by our rifles, and seldom gone hungry. 



We finally determined to strike to the eastward, 

 along the range of hills already mentioned, and 

 eventually, it possible, reach the Hanyane, and 

 follow it down to the Portuguese town of Zumbo 

 on the Zambesi. After walking steadily for about 

 three hours we at length descried a small herd of 

 sable antelopes feeding down towards a stream of 

 water that ran through a grassy glade just in front 

 of us. With a little care we managed to get into 

 the bed of the stream unobserved, from whence a 



