328 THE GREAT THIRST LAND. 



diker-buck. I missed a giraffe, although, within two 

 hundred yards, but had to be satisfied with its loss, as 

 the ground was too broken and irregular to ride over. 

 Greet killed a stein-buck. 



Next morning the guide came to me at earliest 

 dawn and commenced imitating some animal. I was 

 about to take my rifle, but he pointed to the smooth- 

 bore and shot cartridges, so arming myself with it, as 

 soon as day commenced to break we went down into a 

 grove of mimosa trees. Ghiinea-fowls and francolins 

 fairly swarmed in them. I shot as many of these birds 

 as we could consume, and in following them up got 

 some distance from the wagon. In retracing our steps 

 along the side of a rocky ridge, a splendid leopard showed 

 himself for several seconds, but before I replaced the 

 shot with ball cartridge it was gone. 



As a long treck without water was before us, Greet 

 not expecting to find any till he reached Gouque, and I 

 not till I came to some pits more than three days 

 ahead, we started SOOB. after midnight, and with 

 short halts kept it up all the next day and night, and 

 on the following morning crossed the dry bed of the 

 Shasshi, from where my course went off to the right 

 and his to the left. Over our deoch an' durass we 

 drank that we should meet once more, our beverage 

 being London stout a valuable drink here produced 

 from his wagon. 



Both, I believe, felt grieved at separating. The 

 scene of our parting was wild in the extreme, a pass 

 between a jumble of rocks composed of the brightest red 

 sandstone. He had the best of it, however, for before 

 him was a track, while I had to steer my way through a 

 wilderness where wagon had probably never gone before. 



