62 TALES OF A NOMAD. 



In about an hour's time they made a very creditable 

 raft, by lashing the trunks of saplings together with bark 

 thongs. 



They launched it and were soon in mid-stream, bearing 

 down upon the island. At intervals they fired shots and 

 kept up a perpetual hallooing to intimidate the crocodiles. 

 They reached the island, cut out the tusks, and again 

 launching their raft drifted down stream and arrived 

 at our bank of the river at a point some distance lower 

 down. 



It was too late now to return to our camp, so we had 

 to choose a convenient spot for resting the night. I had 

 given up all intentions of going on to the crocodile 

 river for giraffe ; and having got as many sea-cows as I 

 wanted, I made up my mind to return to Gumban 

 without delay. 



At the spot where we camped down there was a broad 

 belt of reeds between us and the river, through which 

 the Caffres cut a path in order to go and draw water. 



We were very much bothered by the hyaenas. I had 

 shot a water-buck for the Caffres, and as there was no 

 shooting going on in this district, I suppose the hyaenas 

 got rather hungry. They were at any rate very bold. 

 One of them entered the camp and ran away with the 

 hide of the water-buck. 



I had brought some strychnine with me as a protec- 

 tion against this pest of hyaenas, and my Caffres begged 

 me to use it, or else we should be kept awake all night 

 by the brutes. 



So I took a piece of meat, and rubbing strychnine on 

 it threw it on the ground about twenty yards from the 

 camp. We soon heard a hyaena making most ghastly 

 noises, and then he seemed to have gone down to the 



