222 Travels IN 
a glafs of ftrong liquor revived their fpirlts, 
and made them forget the rude manner in 
which I had awakened them. We fpent the 
fecond day in great dejection • and we were 
not fo fuccefsful as on the firft. In the even- 
ing we repeated the fame ceremonies as before, 
but with this difference, that being perhaps 
become bolder, or even more confident, we 
hoped that an uninterrupted fleep would re- 
cover us a little from our fatigue, and ferve 
at leaft to refrefh us. We were however dif- 
turbed by a very fudden alarm. Scarcely had 
my Hottentots been alleep an hour, when a 
buffalo, attraded by the light, approached 
clofe to us ; but as this animal is afraid of 
man, no fooner did he obferve us, than he 
was feized with terror, and inftantly fled. The 
noife which he made in retreating precipitately^ 
through the bufhes, and the crafhing of the 
branches, awaked us ; upon which we all 
ftarted up, and having fearched around for 
the fpace of an hour, difcharging our pieces 
at random, we returned to our fire. The 
third day was ftill more difaftrous : the 
hiftory of it I fhall relate more at length, 
for it often recurs to my mind; and at pre- 
fent, as the fire of youth becomes cooler, it 
doe^ 
