THE NECESSITY OF CAMP-FIRES, 



255 



most charming site for a gentleman's house, pro- 

 vided always that the river was full of water, for 

 terrace rose above terrace, so regular in height and 

 gradations that it was almost believeable that they 

 had been formed by artificial m«-u.ns. There is no 

 doubt but that at one period, and that not very long 

 ago, all this country was much better watered than 

 it is now, so in all probability it possessed a much 

 larger human population ; still I could not observe 

 anything to denote their existence, if I except the 

 terraces previously alluded to. 



The afternoon was remarkable for nothing but the 

 number of puff adders that were killed. I think in 

 an hour's tramp that I must have seen upwards of a 

 dozen of these deadly poisonous, but, thank Provi- 

 dence ! sluggish reptiles. Our outspan that evening 

 was by a /«« of clear water, almost round in shape, 

 and evidently very deep in the centre. It was not 

 over fifty yards in diameter, with rather steep shelv- 

 ing banks. The margin here told tales of what 

 went on in this neighbourhood, when humanity was 

 not present, for on all the edge could be distinguished 

 fresh spoor of every variety of game in the dis- 

 trict, not even excepting the elephant's and 

 buffalo's. 



There were no trees in the immediate proximity, 

 so every available person was sent off to an adjoin- 

 ing piece of woodland for all the fuel that he or 

 she could collect. This was a labour of no small 

 importance ; but, happily, the toil proved unneces- 

 sary, for nothing, save a {^^ hyaenas and jackals, 

 visited our location during the night. Let me ^w^ 

 the hunter in these regions a word of advice, and 

 write it down in his memory in indelible letters — 

 under no pretext whatever permit night fires to be 

 wanting about your camp, wherever it may be. With- 

 out them your cattle are never safe, for, like the 

 Scriptural thief in the night, no one knows when or 



