24 NATURE AND SPORT IN SOUTH AFRICA 



winged. These pretty little green, blue, and yellow 

 parrots (never failing indicators of water) are, when 

 taken young, made great pets of by the Transvaal 

 Dutch farmers. Dove fashioned a rude cage for his 

 new capture, and took no end of trouble over it. 

 The bird, although scarcely at all wounded, was too 

 old to be tamed. It refused almost all food, fiercely 

 resisted all attempts at friendliness, and finally, after 

 a few days, died, much to our regret. If it had 

 been a young bird, no doubt we could have reared it. 



At half-past three, after a long rest, the horses 

 were got in from grass, the oxen brought up to the 

 yokes and inspanned, the water-casks firmly lashed 

 in their places at the back of the wagons, the rest of 

 our gear safely stowed, and at four o'clock away we 

 trekked again. 



The light wagon led the way ; Billy, the goat (a 

 most amusing character), marched next, in his usual 

 independent fashion, snatching, now and again, a 

 morsel of food as he tramped briskly along ; then 

 the big wagon followed, each wagon being drawn 

 by eighteen oxen ; the dogs, to the number of six or 

 seven, ranged hither and thither as it pleased them. 

 In rear of all our eight hunting-ponies, shepherded 

 by Seleti, the horse-boy, followed at their leisure. 

 Few sights are more picturesque than the long and 

 varied line of an expedition upon trek ; the memory 

 of such a scene remains firmly imprinted in the 



