THE FIRST GAME CAMP 



for he was respectfully silent, and exactly the colour 

 of the night. 



We would indicate to him our plans for the mor- 

 row, and he would disappear. Then at a distance of 

 twenty or thirty feet from the front of our tents a 

 tiny tongue of flame would lick up. Dark figures 

 could be seen manipulating wood. A blazing fire 

 sprang up, against which we could see the motionless 

 and picturesque figure of Saa-sita (Six o'Clock), the 

 askari of the first night watch, leaning on his musket. 

 He was a most picturesque figure, for his fancy ran 

 to original headdresses, and at the moment he af- 

 fected a wonderful upstanding structure made of 

 marabout wings. 



At this sign that the night had begun, we turned 

 in. A few hyenas moaned, a few jackals barked: 

 otherwise the first part of the night was silent, for 

 the hunters were at their silent business, and the 

 hunted were "layin' low and sayin' nuffin'." 



Day after day we rode out, exploring the country 

 in different directions. The great uncertainty as 

 to what of interest we would find filled the hours 

 with charm. Sometimes we clambered about the 

 cliffs of the buttes trying to find klip-springers; again 

 we ran miles pursuing the gigantic eland. I in 

 turn got my first rhinoceros, with no more danger 

 than had attended the illing of B.'s. On this oc- 



73 



