230 LARGE GAME. chap. v. 



pluck deserved, and prophesying that Mahlatine would not 

 hear the last of it for some time to come, I had my dinner, 

 and then crossed over to one of the camp-fires where a knot of 

 old hunters were spinning yarns, and sat there and listened, 

 asking an occasional question on some point of natural 

 history, till it got late — late at least for us, who rose with 

 the morning star — and going inside, was about to lie down, 

 when a rush of all the dogs, barking violently, made me 

 come out again. No one took much notice, thinking that 

 it was some prowling wolf that had ventured nearer than 

 usual, till a voice was heard out of the darkness, exclaim- 

 ing, "O my lords, the dogs will eat us up." "Who's 

 that ? " was instantly shouted by a score of voices ; and, 

 unless I had interfered, a long conversation would probably 

 have taken place before the dogs, savage brutes that they 

 were, would have been called off. When at last they were 

 kicked and beaten into comparative silence, three lanky, 

 half-starved-looking lads made their appearance, evidently 

 by their looks mat-bearers, who told us that they belonged 

 to a native officer of the chief Nozingile, who had been sent 

 to the Zulu king, and was now on his way back. They 

 had lost themselves, they said, and had seen the glare of 

 our fires, and thinking it was the jungle burning had come 

 to it to sleep. 



An hour or two after this all was still, save the deep 

 bell-like notes of the toads rising from the damp river- 

 bottom, and the sharper tones of the tree frogs mingling 

 with the harsh and grating accents of the cicada?, while 

 above all could be heard the heavy snoring of the wearied 

 hunters. The heat was excessive ; and, unable to sleep, 

 I had been sitting for some time on my mat smoking and 



