32 DAYS AND NIGHTS BY THE DESERT. 



would not have delayed investigating the cause of 

 the assembly of these flesh-eating birds ; but I did, 

 for the reason that I believe nothing is so conducive 

 to fever and disarrangement of your system, as 

 exposing yourself to the rays of the sun on an 

 empty stomach. 



My bay horse was now in splendid fettle, hard 

 as nails, and no more flesh on his bones than was 

 actually necessary. For some time he had had 

 nothing to do but follow the waggons and satisfy his 

 appetite ; so it is scarcely to be wondered at, that, 

 when I prepared to mount, he indicated an unusual 

 amount of impatience to be off. This I expected, 

 and to a certain extent was prepared for ; but the 

 rogue played me another trick which I had not 

 entered in the programme, viz. giving a succession 

 of buck-jumps before I had got my off foot in the 

 stirrup-iron. Fortunately I had not relieved my 

 attendant of my rifle, and further was I lucky in 

 having a good hold of his head, or I believe he 

 would have given me u a clean coup," as a Scotch 

 groom of a friend of mine expressed himself when 

 telling his master that he had been thrown. How- 

 ever, the stirrup-iron comes to the foot or the foot 

 goes to the iron. Which is it, I would ask the 

 veterans who read this ? for it is hard for me to say ; 

 for the action is intuitive. When once I was well 

 down in the saddle, and had got both feet home, 

 a good sharp three-quarters of a mile soon settled 



