THE LAND OF FOOTPRINTS 



merit of that rhinoceros; and at the last had him 

 furiously charging back and forth in a twenty-yard 

 space, very angry at the little puffing, screeching bul- 

 lets, but quite unable to catch one. Then he made 

 up his mind and departed the way he had come, 

 finally disappearing as a little rapidly moving black 

 speck through the gap in the hills where we had first 

 caught sight of him. 



We finished caring for the oryx, and returned to 

 camp. To our surprise we found we were at least 

 seven or eight miles out. 



In this fashion days passed very quickly. The 

 early dewy start in the cool of the morning, the grad- 

 ual grateful warming up of sunrise, and immedi- 

 ately after, the rest during the midday heats under a 

 shady tree, the long trek back to camp at sunset, the 

 hot bath after the toilsome day — all these were 

 very pleasant. Then the swift falling night, and the 

 gleam of many tiny fires springing up out of the 

 darkness; with each its sticks full of meat roasting, 

 and its little circle of men, their skins gleaming in 

 the light. As we sat smoking, we would become 

 aware that M'ganga, the headman, was standing 

 silent awaiting orders. Some one would happen to 

 see the white of his eyes, or perhaps he might smile 

 so that his teeth would become visible. Otherwise 

 he might stand there an hour, and no one the wiser, 



72 



