114 WAR: A SCOUTS' PATROL 



as to the chance of getting buck anywhere handy. 

 Across the river from the kraal was a beautiful 

 big plain which looked a likely place, for the green 

 picking seemed to be coming on well. The head- 

 man told us, in answer to our inquiries, that the 

 place would be full of game in the morning, and 

 for further encouragement informed me that there 

 was so much that I would be " tired out simply 

 firing at it." " I suppose/' I said, " you get too 

 much meat already " — though, of course, I knew 

 really that they had no means of killing these 

 buck. " Meat ! " they cried out ; " why, we never 

 even see it." " But you do like meat ? " J queried. 

 " Like it ! " they yelled, bounding in the air — " do 

 we like it ? Just give us a chance, you will see we 

 shall be on it like hyenas/' 



As a matter of fact there was plenty of game in 

 the early morning on the big flat, and, to the great 

 delight of the occupants of the little kraal, I shot 

 a couple of sassaby, one of which went to the 

 " hyenas." That night we made our camp at a 

 beautiful spot by the waterfall. The weather all 

 this time was glorious — bright warm days and cold 

 nights ; it brought the feeling that it was good to 

 be alive, and I pitied anyone condemned to spend 

 his life in an office in town. " You might as well 

 sit in the tronk," * said my old companion. 



On getting back to our main camp, we found 

 Lewis nearly well again, and that our first mail 

 and papers had arrived. At that time we had 



* Tronk, South African prison. 



