Chap. XIV.] SOUTHERN AFRICA. 117 



extendinor across the path, and impeding the wag- 

 gons until cut away with the hatchet. • A party of 

 six natives had followed our tracks and volunteered 

 to show a girafte.* I emerged under their guid- 

 ance from the forest we were threading, into a wide 

 plain, on which I saw, for the first time, the foot- 

 steps of four of these gigantic quadrupeds, but no 

 living objects, save a few sassaybys, one of which I 

 foolishly shot, when four of my savages immediately 

 slunk behind to eat him. I was much struck with 

 the spoor or track of the cameleopard — it was dif- 

 ferent from every thing I had seen or imagined it 

 wo\ild resemble. The largest impression was eleven 

 inches in length, of parallelogramatic form, tapered 

 at the toe, and rounded at the heel. I felt singulaj 

 satisfaction in finding myself at length treading on 

 ground imprinted with the recent footsteps of that 

 extraordinary animal. 



I had by this time ridden far in advance of the 

 waggons, and as night was fast closing around, I 

 began to be apprehensive that I should have to 

 bivouac in the bush. The savages appeared to 

 contemplate the same contingency, and evinced a 

 vast longing to join their companions, who had 

 wisely remained with the flesh-pots. I gave them 

 by signs to understand that I disapproved of such a 

 measure, and we all pushed on as briskly as pos- 

 sible. A contumacious rhinoceros f Avas standing 

 directly in our path, and, although hailed repeat- 



* Came/eopardalis Giraffa. i x , ... , r • t- 



. „.. ^- . j-Uelineated in the African Views, 



f Rhinoceros Afncanus. ) 



