THE LAST FRONTIER 



were always a few waterbuck and rhinoceroses 

 about. Often too we here encountered stragglers from 

 the open plains zebra or hartebeeste, very alert 

 and suspicious in unaccustomed surroundings. 



A great deal of the plains country had been burned 

 over; and a considerable area was still afire. The low 

 bright flames licked their way slowly through the grass 

 in a narrow irregular band extending sometimes for 

 miles. Behind it was blackened soil, and above it 

 rolled dense clouds of smoke. Always accompanied 

 it thousands of birds wheeling and dashing frantically 

 in and out of the murk, often fairly at the flames 

 themselves. The published writings of a certain 

 worthy and sentimental person waste much sym- 

 pathy over these poor birds dashing frenziedly about 

 above their destroyed nests. As a matter of fact 

 they are taking greedy advantage of a most excellent 

 opportunity to get insects cheap. Thousands of 

 the common red-billed European storks patrolled 

 the grass just in front of the advancing flames, or 

 wheeled barely above the fire. Grasshoppers were 

 their main object, although apparently they never 

 objected to any small mammals or reptiles that came 

 their way. Far overhead wheeled a few thousand 

 more assorted soarers who either had no appetite or 

 had satisfied it. 



The utter indifference of the animals to the ad- 



282 



