FIRST YEARS IN SOUTH AFRICA. ig 



easy till darkness came on, when the whole neigh- 

 bourhood seemed to swarm with animals coming 

 to quench their thirst at the pool. Fiendish hyaenas 

 made the air tremble with their loud, weird howls, 

 varied at intervals by indulgence in the peculiar 

 tittering laugh characteristic of their base race ; 

 jackals joined in additional discordant vocal per- 

 formances ; and a few lions roared magnificently 

 at intervals. A troop of elephants came to the 

 water, and could be heard splashing about, at 

 times uttering a peculiar squealing noise indicative 

 perhaps of enjoyment. I can't boast of having felt 

 easy enough to make an attempt at sleep, but 

 busied myself in keeping up a blazing fire during 

 the greater part of the night, and occasionally fired 

 a shot when the lions came too near. As for my 

 yellow attendant, he took these things as a matter 

 of course, and although he did not sleep much, 

 was evidently quite indemnified by an indulgence 

 in unlimited coffee and tobacco, with a " soupie " 

 of the beloved " Cape Smoke " which I threw in. 

 I got a couple of hours' sleep after the bright 

 morning star appeared, and, having let our horses 

 graze a bit, as soon as it was light enough to do 

 so safely, we started in the early sunshine, and soon 



