AFRICAN CAMP FIRES 



on, we emerged on the dry, drained slopes from the 

 hills. Here the grass was long, and the ticks 

 plenty. Our horses' legs and chests were black with 

 them; and when we dismounted for lunch we our- 

 selves were almost immediately alive with the pests. 

 In this very high grass the game was rather scarce, 

 but after we had climbed by insensible grades to the 

 shorter growth we began to see many hartebeeste, 

 zebra, and gazelles, and a few of the wildebeeste, or 

 brindled gnus. Travel over these great plains, and 

 through these leisurely low hills is a good deal like 

 coastwise sailing; the same apparently unattainable 

 landmarks which, nevertheless, are at last passed 

 and left astern by the same sure but insensible 

 progress. Thus we drew up on apparently contin- 

 uous hills, found wide gaps between them, crossed 

 them, and turned to the left along the other side of 

 the promontory. About five o'clock we came to the 

 Hills'. 



The ostrich farm is situated on the very top of a 

 conical rise that sticks up like an island close inshore 

 to the semicircle of mountains in which end the vast 

 plains of Kapiti. Thus the Hills have at their backs 

 and sides these solid ramparts and face westward 

 the immensities of space. For Kapiti goes on over 

 the edge of the world to unknown, unguessed regions, 

 rolling and troubled like a sea. And from that 



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