IN THE TREE TOP. 95 



Instead of carrying his rifle at the side of the saddle, as is sometimes done by 

 hunters, Bob followed the custom of his friends, who slung their weapons over 

 their backs, by means of a strap, whence it could be quickly brought to the front in 

 case of need. Thus he would have the full use of both arms when he wished it, 

 and, in climbing a tree, could carry his chief weapon with him. 



That was what Bob did. It took but a few minutes to ensconce himself among 

 the branches of the cameeldorn, whose leaves were as green and cool-looking as 

 though the roots were perennially supplied with moisture. 



The youth ascended until the strength of the limb on which he rested permitted 

 him to go no farther, when he paused, to take a survey of the neighborhood. 



The result, at first, was disappointing. His vision extended less than he ex- 

 pected, though it swept over considerable space; but it showed nothing of what he 

 hoped to see. 



" It must be," he thought, " that the giraffe holds its head so high and has such 

 sharp eyes, like the ostrich, that it discovers the hunter long before he can detect 

 the animal. There may be a herd of them that have observed us long ago, and are 

 keeping out of our way. Helloa ! somebody is luckier than I." 



This exclamation was caused by the sound of a gun, a short distance to the left. 

 He suspected the weapon was Dick's, though, of necessity, it was guesswork on 

 Bob's part. 



Suddenly, the latter's heart gave a throb. Two hundred yards off, in a direction 

 opposite to that where he had left his horse, he saw something moving. It was at 

 the farther end of the clearing, where all became jungle again, and the objects were 

 so hidden by the vegetation that, for some minutes, it was impossible to identify them. 



By and by, however, a male giraffe, fully eighteen feet high, and two females, 

 three or four feet less in stature, moved into plainer sight and began cropping some 

 of the acacias that were plentiful in that section. 



The youth debated with himself what he should do. The animals were too far 

 off to risk a shot from his perch, and he hesitated to shoot them down in mere sport, 

 when there were no young in their company. The spoor convinced him that some 

 infant camelopards were not far off, and it was important that the older ones should 

 not be scared into fleeing with them. 



Bob was indeed in a quandry, and he ardently wished that his friends were 

 within call, so that some plan for making the important capture could be agreed 

 upon. But he was afraid to signal them, lest he should frighten off the animals. 

 He therefore waited and cogitated over the matter, hoping all the time that the 

 giraffes would come closer. 



While still attentively watching them, he made the discovery that fully half a 

 dozen others were near. He could catch glimpses of their long, awkward necks 

 now and then, as they thrust their heads hither and thither among the acacias, 

 while cropping the succulent leaves; but they persisted in keeping so obscured that 

 he could not learn whether or not they were accompanied by any young, the proba- 

 bilities, however, being that more than one baby giraffe was in their company. 



