When at last hunters and hunted completed their 

 wide circuit round the camp, and passed again the point 

 where we had first heard them, the end seemed near ; 

 for there were no longer single calls widely separated, 

 but the voices of the pack in hot close chase. They 

 seemed to be passing half a mile away from us ; but in 

 the stillness of the night sound travels far, and one can 

 only guess. Again a little while and the cries sounded 

 nearer and as if coming from one quarter not moving 

 round us as before ; and a few minutes more, and it was 

 certain they were still nearer and coming straight 

 towards us. We took our guns then, and I called Jock 

 back to where we stood under the tree with our backs 

 to the fire. 



The growing sounds came on out of the night where 

 all was hidden with the weird crescendo effect of a 

 coming flood ; we could pick them out then the louder 

 harsher cries ; the crashing through bush ; the rush 

 in grass ; the sobbing gasps in front ; and the hungry 

 panting after. The hunt came at us like a cyclone 

 out of the stillness, and in the forefront of it there burst 

 into the circle of light an impala ewe with open mouth 

 and haunting hunted despairing eyes and wide spread 

 ears ; and the last staggering strides brought her in 

 among us, tumbling at our feet. 



A kaffir jumped out with assegai aloft ; but Teddy, 

 with the spring of a tiger and a yell of rage, swung his 

 rifle round and down on assegai arm and head, and 

 dropped the boy in his tracks. 



" Go-sh ! Da-11 ! Cr-r-r-i-miny ! What d the Hex 

 are you up to ? " and the fiery soft-hearted old 

 299 



