Companions by the Way. 157 



series of pools of clean and clear water, (1< ttted here 

 and there anionii' huu'e l)oid(lers ol" i-ock and wide 

 -spaces of sand. All ai'oiind us is the thick hush 

 veldt. \\\' have the jjlace all to ourselves. In 

 the distance Mount Towhi, behind Aviiich the sun 

 sets with a scarlet ^lilow. Tiie moon, almost at the 

 lull, illuminates the surroundin^i;' sccncrN' with 

 astonishing brilliancy. We were a cheerl'id party 

 that night at dinner, Captain Williams and 1, 

 Myberg the conductoi', and Hans Lee the hunter. 

 Myberg is a splendid specimen of a yomig colonial. 

 Standino" six foot five in his stockino-s, strong; as a 

 horse and wirv as an antelope, he jDossesses a most 

 good-natured disposition, is always ready for 

 anything, and makes the best of everything. Hans 

 Lee is a short l:)ut ^veil-made man, with I'egular 

 features, a black beard and moustache, a soft 

 dronino; kind of voice which lends to his conversa- 

 tion and his narrati\'es a peculiar charm. His 

 English is rather broken. AVe retired to rest 

 early, somewhat fatigued with the labours of the 

 day ; the sounds of the night were the crunch- 

 ing of the mealies by the mules attached to their 

 canvas manger, their whines -when biting each 

 other, the occasional lio^vd of a jackal or a hysena, 

 and at 1 a.m. the " Baboon " woke up Captain 

 Williams to make him hearken to the roaring of a 

 lion some three or four miles away on the other 

 side of the river. The sound, it appears, was quite 

 faint, and I was somewhat incredulous when told 

 about it next morning. By ten o'clock T was 

 perfectly convinced of my error. 



