24 DAYS AND NIGHTS BY THE DESERT. 



them in. While doing so, I disturbed a splendid 

 lioness, who only waited for a moment to survey 

 me, and then bounded off, not taking many seconds 

 to get out of sight. As I had no weapon but a 

 revolver, I was gratefully pleased that our inter- 

 view was of such short duration. 



Having got to windward of the nags, I was 

 rapidly herding them to the fire, when I heard a 

 second rifle report, and, as far as I could judge, it 

 came from the immediate proximity of the first. 

 Darkness was now coming on rapidly, so I began to 

 be anxious for my man's return ; but I was not long 

 kept waiting, for, ere the second watchfire had been 

 lighted by me, the absent one walked into camp. 



With a laugh, he threw a steinbok and a dark 

 tuft of tawny hair on the ground. I picked up the 

 latter, and exclaimed, " Tao ! " (Bechuana for lion). 

 " Yes, tao," he said, and, without more conversation, 

 we commenced our feed of tough, and certainly 

 not very savoury, venison. 



But food invariably loosens the tongue, so when 

 we had eaten sufficient and made up the fires for the 

 night, Cigar narrated the adventure of the last hour. 



Immediately after leaving me he found a stein- 

 bok; but the little antelope was so wary and cunning 

 that he could not get a shot at it, so from clump to 

 clump of grass or brush he followed it for nearly 

 half an hour. At length he was about to give up 

 the chase, when he altered his opinion, for the bok 



