46 DAYS AND NIGHTS BY THE DESERT. 



you retire a mile from the above-named water- 

 course, bush-veldt becomes the dominant feature of 

 the landscape, and was the haunt of innumerable 

 species of the larger descriptions of African ante- 

 lopes. This may well be accepted when I state that 

 from my waggon-box I have seen at break of day, 

 hartebeeste, vildebeeste, eland, and sassabi within 

 easy rifle range of my position. Moreover, buffalo, 

 quagga (the favourite food of lions), and giraffe were 

 far from scarce in this vicinity. Thus it is not to 

 be wondered at that the king of beasts should be 

 found numerous where there was to be obtained 

 such an abundance of his natural food, especially as 

 water and shelter, two necessaries to his existence, 

 were ever close at hand. 



Nightly I had heard for nearly a month the 

 deep-muttered growl or bass roar of the monarch 

 of the waste, but the weather being fine and the 

 nights clear, I had little dread of his attacking either 

 my bullocks or horses. Another protection I pos- 

 sessed against lions intruding themselves into my 

 camp, was that with me were a ,troop of dogs of 

 such excellence as had seldom been seen in an 

 African hunter's camp. Several of these hounds 

 had been imported, and great care was taken in 

 their selection that strength and courage should be 

 their sine qua non y as they were to be my com- 

 panions in a very distant and dangerous journey. 



The other dogs that completed the pack had 



