274 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN 



near, to my knowledge. Then the heat and fatigue overpowered 

 me. I fell fast asleep. 



Some sense of approaching danger, curiously enough, must 

 have entered into my dreams. I awoke with a start, looking 

 for the enemy. So sure was 1, that I was not surprised to see 

 some naked savages approaching swiftly and silently in the dis- 

 tance. They had not noticed me, being attracted by the dead 

 hartebeest which was being devoured by scores of vultures. 

 The savages were well armed ; they carried bows and arrows 

 and long knives. I certainly thought my fate was sealed. It 

 seemed the best thing to play up bravely, if the worst was to 

 happen. I jumped up and shouted, attracting at once their 

 attention. I waved my rifle, slapped the barrel, pointed triumph- 

 antly to the dead hartebeest, and beckoned to them to hurry up. 

 1 could see they hesitated. This made me more friendly and 

 pressing in my invitation to them to join me. 



When they had grasped the fact, that 1 did not intend to 

 harm them, they cautiously drew nearer. After a long parley, 

 carried on in gesture-dialogue, I got them to cut up the meat 

 and to load themselves with it. The vultures, while I slept, 

 had devoured heart, lungs, and liver, and picked the bones of 

 one hind-quarter perfectly clean. 1 am sure, they would have 

 polished ofif the whole hartebeest at one sitting, if left un- 

 disturbed. I never saw again such a variety of vultures and 

 other carnivorous birds. While the savages were cutting up 

 the meat, I kept reminding them of the presence of my rifle. 

 I could not divest my mind entirely of all fear of foul play 

 on their part. This made me display my handful of five useless 

 cartridges, and flourish the kitchen-knife in my right hand. 

 Fear of losing my life and determination to sell it dearly were 

 struggling for mastery. 



W^hen they had shouldered the meat, I insisted on their 

 walking in single file in front of me. They evidently disliked 

 this arrangement, being as much afraid of me, as I was of 

 them. But, when I urged them to take notice of rifle and 

 kitchen-knife, they reluctantly complied. Unfortunately I had 

 not the least idea in what direction my camp lay. I saw 

 that they wanted to take a direction almost opposite to the 

 one my boy had taken. Of course I protested in dumb-show, 

 and pointed out what 1 imagined to be the right one. They 

 jabbered noisily, shook their heads, and pointed in the direc- 



