chaP. II.] SIGNS OF A GIRAFFE. 53 



joining in the conversation — in fact, tlie gaol was the 

 cliief thing that they talked about. I have no doubt 

 that if, as an amusement, I had proposed that each man 

 should teU a story, the beginning would usually have 

 been — " When I was in prison," &c. &c. This feature 

 in their character corroborated the suspicion of pilfering 

 that I had entertained. But I soon saw that some 

 were very far worse than the others, and I determined 

 to take the first opportunity of weeding these out. I 

 especially mistrusted one man, whom I believe to have 

 been a regular gaol bird, and who had the worst of 

 influence over the rest. John Morta's most perfect 

 honesty, through any temptation, I was assured of, and 

 though I had had less opportunity of observing him, I 

 fuUy believed in Tknboo's. I only wanted to get rid 

 of two men, and to replace them if I could, and then I 

 had hopes I should get on very well with the others. 



Our seventh day's march was an affair of six hours, 

 and up the Tsobis river bed. For the second time, we 

 had no animal food left; but immediately that we 

 started we saw the fresh spoor of a giraffe. I doubted 

 whether or no to go after it, as my horse was very thin 

 and weak, and I could not tell where the giraffe might 

 have gone to, probably far beyond reach; so we 

 travelled slowly on. However, as I rode some little 

 distance in front of the cart, I found that the track 

 went straight up the river bed, wliich being now 

 hemmed in with impracticable cliffs, the giraffe's path 

 and our own must necessarily be the same. This 

 made a great alteration in the case, and I cantered 

 slowly on the spoor. My rifle was a little one (only 



