MEN OF THE TREES 



to catch up with the wounded buffalo and finish him off. 

 Secretly I was in a quandary, for I knew that unless I 

 could persuade them to continue with me there would 

 be very little chance of my ever being able to get back 

 to camp. On the other hand, what seemed to me more 

 important than anything else at the moment was suc- 

 cess, for if I had returned unsuccessful, I felt that I 

 should have lost my chance of making good with my 

 friends, the forest dwellers. Not knowing the country, 

 I reahzed my entire dependence upon the knowledge of 

 these four bushmen, and yet I hardly dared to give them 

 a direct order to continue when it might be a question 

 of life or death for them. 



While I was turning over the situation in my mind 

 one of them picked up something from the ground, and I 

 said, "What is that?" It was a tiny tick. The boy knew 

 that it had been brushed off the buffalo's back by an 

 overhanging branch. I placed it on the open palm of my 

 hand and in a flash I had an inspiration. Looking into 

 their faces I said, "Let the tick decide. If, when I place 

 it on the ground, it walks in the direction of camp we 

 will return but if it walks in the direction of the buffalo 

 we will continue." With brightened faces all agreed that 

 this was a very good idea, for it was "Shauri ya Mungo" 

 (God's business) to decide. 



I put the tick on the ground and all eyes were turned 

 upon the oracle. The insect remained motionless for a 

 moment and then, in the intense silence, it seemed that 

 he deliberately made off in the direction taken by the 



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