Part 27 (1/2)

”And I never wish to be in the way of a hippopotareater want of politeness I neverthis conversation the Hottentots and Bushmen at the other fires had not been idle The Hottentots had fried and eaten, and fried and eaten, till they could hold nolooked as thin and er as if they had not had a meal for a month, were now so stuffed that they could hardly walk, and their lean stomachs were distended as round as balls The Bushman who had been tossed by the buffalo ca and patting his stomach, which was distended to a ive them some,” said Alexander; ”it will complete their day's happiness Did you ever see a fellow so stuffed? I wonder he does not burst”

”It is their custoe in this hen an opportunity offers, which is but seldom Their calendar, such as it is, is ; and I will answer for it, that if one Bush took place, he would reply, just before or just after the white eneral?”

”They live upon roots at certain seasons of the year; upon locusts when a flight takes place; upon lizards, beetles--any thing Occasionally they procure gaed to lie in wait for it, and wound it with their poisoned arrows, and then they follow its track and look for it the next day Subtle as the poison is they only cut out the part near the wound, and eat the rest of the ani pit-holes for the hippopotamus and rhinoceros and occasionally take the is very precarious, and they often suffer the extreine, of their being so diminutive a race, Swinton?”

”No doubt of it Continual privation and hardshi+ps froeneration have, I have no doubt, dwindled them down to what you see”

”How is it that these Bushe and irreclaimable”

”They are what are termed tame Bushmen; that is, they have lived near the farrees, become less afraid of the Europeans

Treated kindly, they have done good in return to the far other little services, and have been rewarded with tobacco This has given theree But we must expect to meet with others that are equally wild, and ill be veryin a that they can successfully accomplish; and then we shall discover that we are in their haunts without even seeing them”

”How so?”

”Because it will only be by their thefts that we shall find it out But it is time for bed, and as to-morrow is Sunday you will have a day of rest, which I think you both require”

”I do,” replied Alexander, ”so good-night to you both”

CHAPTER XXII

As arranged, they did not travel on the Sunday Early in thethe oxen and horses and sheep were turned out to pasture; all except the horse which had been ridden by Alexander on the preceding day, and which was found to be suffering so e quantity of blood from him before he was relieved

The Bush as there was any prospect of food The four buffaloes which had been killed, as well as the horse which had been gored to death, were found picked clean to the bones on the following day, by the hyenas and other aniht But as large quantities of the buffalo-flesh had been cut off, and hung upon the trees near the caravan, there was more than sufficient for a second feast for the Bush and roasting during the whole of the day

The sun was intensely hot, and Alexander and the Major both felt so fatigued from the exertions of the day before, that after breakfast they retired to their wagons, and Swinton did not attempt to disturb the, when they were ht it better that they should not be awakened, as the heat was so overpowering, and they could perforht proper, when it would be cooler This was agreed to, and, after an early supper, they sued, were still unwilling to leave their fires; as they said the Bushmen would devour all the flesh that was left, in their absence

This remonstrance was not listened to, and they all asseh by the light of a large fire, for it was very dark before the service was finished The Bushe of their absence, to help themselves very liberally; and as Swinton read the prayers, the eyes of the Hottentots were continually turning round to their own fires, where the Bushe pieces of buffalo-flesh, and, before they were even heated through, were chewing the them to pieces with their teeth

Never perhaps was there a congregation whose attention was so divided, and ere more anxious for the conclusion of the service This uneasiness shown by the Hottentots appeared at last to be coons The fire required replenishi+ng, but none of the Hottentots ht that if Swinton could no longer see, the service must conclude: but Swinton knew it by heart, and continued reading the Commandments, which was the last portion which he read, and Alexander and the Major repeated the responses The Major, whose face was toward the cattle, had observed their uneasiness, and guessed the cause, but did not like to interrupt the service, as it was just over Begu to him in the way she always did when she was afraid; Swinton had just finished, and the Major was saying, ”Swinton, depend upon it,”

when a roar like thunder was heard, and a darkand struggling of the oxen was almost instantaneously succeeded by a lion, with an ox borne on his shoulder, passing right through the whole congregation, sweeping away the reht and left, and vanishi+ng in a ined, all was confusion and alaruns; but it was too late On examination, it was found that the lion had seized the ox which had been tied up near to where they were sitting; their fire being nearly extinguished, and the one which should have been kept alight next to it altogether neglected by the Hottentots, in their anxiety to keep up those on which they had been broiling their buffalo-steaks

The leather thongs by which the ox had been tied up were snapped like threads, and ony of fear, broken their fastenings and escaped As the lion bounded away through the asseht to hihly upon two of the Hottentots, who lay groaning, as if they had been severely hurt; but upon examination it was found that they had only been well scratched and covered with ashes The Bushmen, however, had left their one in pursuit Breo, but our travelers would not permit them About an hour afterward the Bushmen returned, and Oh Bremen they learned that the Bushmen had coed many of their arrows at hirowl or an angry roar was the announceh he was irritated, he continued his repast Omrah then said, ”Lion dead to-morrow,--Bushmen find hions, which, in consequence of this event, and their having to e fires before they went to bed, they did not do till late, ”I believe this is the first time that Divine service was ever wound up by such intrusion”

”Perhaps so,” replied Swinton; ”but I think it proves that we have er The lion ht have taken one of us, and by this time we should have suffered a horrid death”

”I never felt the full force of the many similes and comparisons in the Scriptures, where the lion is so often introduced, till now,” observed Alexander