FIGHTING AN AFRICAN GRASS-FIRE 43 



the grass and licked it up as though it were gun- 

 powder. Loud explosions frequently occurred 

 as the big stalks filled with steam and burst. 

 But the strangest sight was the birds that gath- 

 ered to feed upon the victims of the fire. Hun- 

 dreds of marabou storks, vultures, eagles, hawks, 

 and kites flew a few rods in advance of the 

 flames and, poising in the air a few seconds, 

 pounced down upon a mouse, rat, or big grass- 

 hopper that had been driven from its retreat. 



The path was not quite finished when night 

 fell and the fire was seen sweeping over the low 

 ridge only a quarter mile away. The dew very 

 heavy at this season of the year was falling 

 fast, and we realised that in a short time the grass 

 would be too wet to kindle. There was no al- 

 ternative but to touch it off at once and trust to 

 the porters being able to check its spreading 

 should it succeed in leaping back across the road 

 we were cutting. 



A number of the men, armed with untrimmed 

 branches cut fresh from trees, were stationed 

 back of the road and the colonel gave the word. 

 We touched a match to a bundle of grass and 

 swept it along the outer margin of the clearing. 



The wind was against us and the dew had 



