a$^v 



NOT all our days were spent in excitement far far 

 from it. For six or seven months the rains were too 

 heavy, the heat too great, the grass too rank, and the 

 fever too bad in the Bushveld for any one to do any -^ 

 good there ; so that for more than half of the year we 

 had no hunting to speak of, as there was not much 

 to be done above the Berg. But even during the 

 hunting season there were many off-days and long 

 spells when we never fired a shot. The work with 

 the waggons was .hard when we had full loads, the 

 trekking slow and at night, so that there was always 

 something to do in the daytime repairs to be 

 done, oxen to be doctored, grass and water to be 

 looked for, and so on ; and we had to make up sleep 

 when we could. Even when the sport was good and 

 the bag satisfactory there was usually nothing new 

 to tell about it. So Jock and I had many a long 

 spell when there was no hunting, many a bad day 

 when we worked hard but had no sport, and many 

 a good day when we got what we were after and 

 nothing happened that would interest any one else. 



153 



