23O THROUGH GASA LAND. 



The edge of the river had always been a favourite 

 resort of this youngster, frequent admonitions I 

 thought had broken him from frequenting it ; but not 

 so. While I was engaged talking 1 to the strangers, he 

 had revisited the forbidden haunt, and was doubtless 

 carried off by the great crocodile that seemed ever 

 to hang about the ford. The perpetrator of this out- 

 rage was doubtless the animal that caused Sunday's 

 remark last night, "that brute means mischief; he 

 wants some of our people." 



A piercing shriek was the only warning that any 

 of the encampment received of the catastrophe, but 

 the child could not be found, while on the margin of 

 the river, on the soft mud, were the fresh indenta- 

 tions of the infant's feet. 



A more excited or more angry throng than we 

 were, when we assembled at the scene of the tragedy, 

 it would be difficult to imagine, and many were the 

 vows of vengeance then and there made against the 

 assassin. I ordered a screen to be erected close by 

 the place where this dismal tragedy had been 

 enacted, that I could steal behind unperceived and 

 so shoot from short range ; but the murderer 

 appeared to know what preparations were made for 

 his reception, and never again afforded me a sight 

 of his giant proportions. 



On returning to camp I was again importuned to 

 purchase the ivory ; this led to the following conver- 

 sation, which I think illustrates pretty plainly the 



