COMFORTABLE QUARTERS. 199 



Nature has done her best to make this a perfect hiding- 

 place for lions, for the mimosas and nabbuks larger 

 here than we have usually found them have their 

 widely-spread branches bending to the ground, and 

 the interstices are so completely filled up from below 

 with the long dry grass and above with a creeping 

 cactus, that each tree is converted into a perfect den, 

 quite dark, and only having one or two holes in its 

 wall for the exit and entrance of animals. As a rule, 

 each tree is just sufficiently apart from its neighbours to 

 allow animals to pass between them, and there are in- 

 numerable beaten tracks winding amongst them leading 

 to the riven Our prospects of rinding, or rather seeing, 

 lions 'at home' are therefore not great, and we must 

 rather hope to meet them accidentally in our mutual 

 morning rambles near the river. 



March 4. The excitable Essafi is rather in disgrace 

 to-day. After following some fresh tracks for several 

 hours, he pointed me out a rhinoceros moving quietly 

 amongst the trees about forty yards off, and quite un- 

 aware of our presence. Creeping a few yards nearer, I 

 saw a second one lying down, and whilst trying to get 

 close to it Essafi said ' adroop ' (fire), and softly as he 

 did so it was quite loud enough to startle this rhinoceros, 

 and in an instant he was on his legs and off, though not 

 without being made aware of the powers of a Henry 

 rifle to penetrate his thick hide. We found blood in his 



