THE END OF THE TRAIL 133 



we had orders to await the Major and the main 

 party. 



On the road we got a few shots one morning at 

 a lioness, and I believe my first shot with a hard 

 bullet went right through her, for she made a 

 great fuss and jumped into some reeds and lay 

 down. However, she presently came out and 

 slowly got away into the bush. 



The weather had now taken the first really 

 warm turn, and we saw a lot of crocodiles lying on 

 the sand-banks. This river is particularly infested 

 with them, and one brute was so enormous that 

 even old Rensberg said he had never seen such a 

 whopper, even in the Zambezi. At quite close 

 quarters he appeared to be almost thirty feet, 

 though I suppose fourteen feet would be nearer the 

 mark. " My God ! M said the old Dutchman, after a 

 good look, "is he not an awfully beggar ? " and 

 he certainly was ! The old man gave him " a 

 good shot/' and after thrashing about for a few 

 seconds, the monster dragged himself off into 

 deep water. Rensberg reckoned that even an 

 elephant, if this croc, had got hold of him, u would 

 have to pull good to get free, or else he wouldn't 

 make it." 



A little beyond Sambiu we awaited the arrival 

 of our officer, who, curiously enough, was also a 

 Queenslander by birth, whom I had known per- 

 sonally before. A great man was Major Gordon, 

 without the slightest bit of side, and as manly and 

 gallant a leader as one could wish for. The 



