OUR SECOND SAFARI 



camp that day, as we had to have the rhino cut up. 

 I was very wet, and went back to get my things dry 

 after a bit ; and my husband said he would go a 

 little farther, on the chance of getting something. 



By eleven o'clock he was not back, by twelve 

 o'clock I began to be a little worried ; it was not 

 till one o'clock that he put in an appearance, hot, 

 perspiring, and very tired. 



He had seen some ostriches several miles off on 

 the plain, and went after them, and crept up to 

 within five hundred yards of them ; he was for the 

 moment in a dip, then after carefully climbing the 

 rise between him and the birds, he found they had 

 absolutely disappeared ! Near by there were several 

 old Masai encampments, now overgrown with the 

 huge stinging nettles ; most likely the birds had 

 taken cover in one of them. It was disappointing 

 after so long a tramp. Saidi owned a most capaci- 

 ous maw ; he came up to ask my husband for beans, 

 having finished his rations for the whole of our leave 

 already, and all the meat he cut and kept for him- 

 self. No wonder he was often more anxious to 

 stay behind than hunt with my husband. The por- 

 ters too had done very well, having had a lot of 

 meat as well as more than their allowance of beans, 

 and two days' rest in several camps, and four in 

 another, and yet they grumbled. The rhino had 

 put them in a better temper, but still the morning 

 after it was killed my husband inquired of them if 



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