" I would have'missed by feet that time Rocky ! " 



" You kin take it fer a start, Halve the distance 

 and aim low ! " 



" Aim low, as well ? " 



" Thar's allus somethin' low : legs, an' ground to 

 show what you done ! But thar's no ' outers ' marked 

 on the sky ! " 



Once, as we walked along, he paused to look at some 

 freshly overturned ground, and dropped the one word, 

 * Pig.' We turned then to the right and presently 

 came upon some vlei ground densely covered with 

 tall green reeds. He slowed down as we approached ; 

 I tip-toed in sympathy ; and when only a few yards 

 off he stopped and beckoned me on, and as I came 

 abreast he raised his hand in warning and pointed 

 into the reeds. There was a curious subdued sort of 

 murmur of many deep voices. It conveys no idea 

 of the fact to say they were grunts. They were 

 softened out of all recognition : there is only one word 

 for it, they sounded ' confidential.' Then as we 

 listened I could make out the soft silky rustling of the 

 rich undergrowth, and presently, could follow, by 

 the quivering and waving of odd reeds, the move- 

 ments of the animals themselves. They were only 

 a few yards from us the nearest four or five ; they 

 were busy and contented ; and it was obvious they 

 were utterly unconscious of our presence. As we 

 peered down to the reeds from our greater height it 

 seemed that we could see the ground and that not 

 so much as a rat could have passed unnoticed. Yet 

 we saw nothing ! 



44 



