THE BATTLE OF THE HORSES 



45 



FJIL/S CO.XCO/.OK PL M.I 



where it winds through the marshes. In the niiiht the doo-s be^'-an 



to bark, for a lion came into camp. We could hear it moving by 



the dead camp-fire among the pots and pans. Burbury fired his 



revolver in its direction ; he was sleeping on the outside of the 



tent. This morning we have found the lion's lair, twentv vards 



up in the rock above 



our camp. Fritz said 



last night, ' And if you 



hear me cry out, it is 



the lion, he zomp on 



me.' 



" Fritz is very jocu- 

 lar sometimes : ' Aha, 

 my little horse, he 

 zomp !' and ' Mine little 

 bitch, vou ooand catch 

 a pfuanaco.' To-niixht 

 he was roasting an os- 

 trich e^To- and it ex- 



ploded and shot him all over with yellow yolk. He remarked, ' He 

 is goot, this ^%%, but he smell a bit of skunk.' 



" October 13. — Mending waggon, no wood. At ten o'clock 

 waoforon mended but needed a rest in the sun till the hide of 

 cruanaco we had bound it with should drv. So I decided to take 

 to-day as our Sunday and march to-morrow. Burbury is making 

 a plum-duff. Served out tobacco this morning. 



" Mock Sundav and at rest, a time for dreaming. Awav at 

 home the trees are browning. How one's heart turns to theni and 

 dreams of them ! The men born out here wonder how we can 

 look forward to the hap])iness of going home, perhaps for the sight 

 of some village church hidden in I^nglish lanes and fields. Half 

 the charm of this life we are living out here lies in thinking 

 of our return to the land that gives us all comfort and a silent 

 welcome of green springs. Went out to-day after the lion and 

 found tracks, but the ground was too hartl for following them 

 up. He lives in a x'alley of grey dead bush. As we wciii a\\a\- 

 from the dead guanaco yesterday, a condor {Sarcor/ia/ft/>/iits 



