IN THE PACIFIC. 103 



returned on board, leaving E and myself 



with the sergeant and the others to continue 

 the campaign. 



Towards evening the cattle began roaring all 

 around, but declined to come out into the open, 

 on account of the reception they had met with 

 already ; so, after waiting for them till nearly 

 dark, I went down to the pool and bagged three 

 and a half brace of teal. The natives seemed 

 greatly astonished at seeing birds killed on the 

 wing ; and they greeted each shot with shouts 

 of " Caramba." At night the women retired to 

 their own hut, but the colonel preferred to stay 

 with us ; he slept in a grass hammock, with 

 three dogs on the top of him; one, a fawn- 

 coloured mastiff named Boxer, weighing about 

 half a hundredweight, lay across his stomach, a 

 white bull terrier on his chest, and a mongrel 

 on his feet ; he said they served to protect him, 

 as no doubt they did. During the night we 

 were constantly disturbed by the cattle which 

 were feeding close by, but it was too dark to 

 see to shoot them ; the sergeant fired at one by 



