70 STROLL IN THE FOREST. 



head as he shouted "All tight." Another hearty cheer 

 responded to his welcome information. 



No time was now lost in rigging her mast and sails, 

 and then stowing her cargo ; and at 2.30 p.m., on the 

 30th of August, the Search^ with the British ensign at 

 her peak end, lay by the bank, with all her belongings 

 aboard save those who were about to entrust them- 

 selves to her care on the stormy lake of Nyassa. 



Mr. Young now decided on not starting till next 

 morning. I resolved, therefore, to take another 

 stroll in the forest, and taking Moloka and a couple 

 of guns left the scene of many hours' hard work. 

 It was about 4.30 o'clock when we left camp, and 

 taking a course to the northward of where I had 

 hunted since my arrival here, we walked quietly 

 along. A reed-buck (eleotragus arundinaceus) was 

 soon startled from his lair by our approach, and rush- 

 ed away with wonderful quickness. I took a snap 

 shot at him as he went, but fancy I missed him, 

 as he shewed no signs of being hit, nor did his tracks, 

 which I followed up for sojae time, in any way indi- 

 cate that my shot had taken effect. Moloka, who 

 did not like to see a miss, looked downcast when I 

 gave up the pursuit, and asked me how it happened that 

 I let the cheeky little thing thus laugh at me ; adding, 

 "You must kill something this evening, as we have to 

 start to-morrow and have no meat to eat to-night." We 

 then continued our walk. 



I soon hit on the fresh spoor of a solitary water- 

 buck, and the appearance of the footprints showed 

 he had been moving in a quick gallop. Though I 

 knew he had been disturbed by my last shot, I resolv- 



