l62 THROUGH GASA LAND. 



or it might have been a lament forced from her by 

 the intense pain she suffered. Quien sabe ? 



Rapidly we followed ; not a drop of blood was 

 to be seen on the trail ; this was not surprising, for 

 the skin of these animals frequently closes up over 

 the bullet hole ; however, we did not want such tell- 

 tale evidence to enable us to follow the spoor, for 

 both beasts were in sight and less than half-a-mile 

 in advance. After a time the pair turned off to the 

 left, and entered a quantity of high reeds, such 

 as denote the presence of water. Here spooring 

 became difficult, if not impossible ; moreover it was 

 exceedingly dangerous, as we had to proceed down 

 wind, so I called my people off, being desirous of 

 risking neither their lives nor my own. 



By this time the day was pretty well spent ; in 

 half-an-hour more the sun would dip the horizon, 

 and we had quite five miles to traverse before we 

 reached camp, so the last mile or two would have to 

 be performed in darkness. For all this I could not 

 hurry, so beautiful appeared the landscape and its 

 surroundings, wrapt, as it were, in a celestial repose. 



