Part 7 (1/2)
Victor for an instant examined the animal, and then with an exclao in the sao for certain,” replied Hans, ”and so we had better ride whilst we can That chestnut will be dead in an hour We must leave him here, and push on with the others”
The sickness to which Victor referred is the dreaded pest of every South African traveller: the cattle disease which lately in England has carried off whole herds, is not dissimilar to the so-called sickness which affects South African horses and cattle A horse , and even when ridden indicate no signs of illness; perhaps about htly dull and lazy, and in the evening be dead No reainst this sickness, and thus every traveller bargains to lose a large percentage of horses and oxen on every trip that he e districts; for it seems that horses seasoned in one district take the disease in another, and thus the traveller has to test the constitution of the anih various portions of country, many of which are what may be termed infected In the far desert the loss of cattle and horses is a disaster beyond remedy, and often causes the ruin of the hunter, or, as in the present case, entails a great risk of life
Almost concealed, even from close observation, amidst the dense bush of the ravine, Hans' party believed they had escaped being seen by the ever-watchful Matabili, who seemed to continue their journey in the sa when first observed The horses were kept concealed behind the densest bushes, whilst Hans watched the enemy, as more than a mile distant from him The warrior, however, trained in the desert observes facts which would escape the attention of the civilised, or half-civilisedcircumstances quite beyond the perception of the other Just as the Matabili ithin the shortest distance at which their path would bring theitives, some vultures, attracted probably by the horses of the Dutch overhead Hans observed this at once, and knew the danger of the circumstance
”The Matabili will see this and will become suspicious,” Hans exclainal”
Scarcely had he spoken before the Matabili halted and stood gazing at the bushes a A very short exa into two parties, they started at a run towards the ravine, beating their shi+elds and
”We had better ride for it,” said Hans; ”we ht kill half their number, but the remainder would finish us Coallop”
The two girls were soon h they had to ride on a man's saddle, with one stirrup crossed over to supply the place of a pommel, they had been too much accustomed to horses from their childhood to find much difficulty in this performance Victor and Bernhard were soon ready also, and allop off
”Let the men descend into that hollow,” said Hans, ”then they will not see us ride away We will keep the slope of the hill, as the streams are smaller there than in the valley belo, be ready, h far from fresh, in consequence of the small amount of food they had eaten, yet responded to the application of the impromptu hich each rider had provided himself with, and started at a pace which, if continued, would have placed the riders far beyond the possibility of capture from any pedestrians Hans, however, knew the infectious nature of the sickness, and watched with anxiety the action of the various horses, for if another horse died, one aniht, a fact which would prevent any rapid progress
He knew too that the Matabili could journey fully fifty miles a day for several days, and this would be e; so that the present position was one of extreer
By the time the Matabili had reached the spot on which Hans and his party had been concealed, he had ridden nearly two miles away, and his spoor alone showed the Matabili how near they had been to their enenised the freshness of this spoor, whilst the dying horse showed that he had not been long deserted
Not knowing that two out of the five riders omen, the Matabili fortunately did not pursue in a body, but despatching two of their fastest and best runners to watch the eneence, the remainder continued their journey towards the head-quarters of their chief
During fully three hours Hans rode steadily onwards, the sun, the ranges of hills, and the strea to show hiive the horses every chance, he then deeraze, as also to try and procure so the bank of a stream, where a clear open space round prevented ain off-saddled the horses; and telling Victor and Bernhard to prepare a fire, he started in search of food
To a hunter as well skilled as was Hans in the habits of aniarass and weeds on the leeward side of a ravine at once attracted hiht either a reitbok or a duiker should be found, and either would supply enough food for two days
Hans was correct in his judgment, and obtained an easy shot at a reitbok, which he killed, and thus provided his cohly cooked as it was, and eaten with nothing else, it yet was not despised by any one of the party
About two hours' additional riding fro-place co been chosen, the party halted for the night, Hans agreeing to sleep first whilst Victor watched, and then to take his turn about ht
CHAPTER ELEVEN
NIGHT IN THE WILDERNESS--THE LIONS ROAR--THE SAVAGE OUTWITTED BY A LION--THE PARTY TAKE UP A GOOD POSITION
There are few ular experiences to the civilised man than to camp in the wilderness; and there are now but few countries in the world where such an event can occur Man has now spread so widely over our planet, that but few spots can be found in the state in which nature framed them To find any spot so far removed from the residence of man that no sound can reach it which is indicative of a hu, the tinkle of a bell, the bleating of a sheep, or the sound of a signal gun, can all be heard on a still night for many miles Thus, e say that to experience the full effects of a night in the wilderness, we should be at least forty or fifty s, and in a country where the wild animals are as yet no more than partially thinned by the occasional visits of hunters, probably Africa alone of all the continents yields to the hunter the thorough wilderness, with its attendant thrilling additions India is generally too much populated: America somewhat destitute of numerous members of the ferae which abound in Africa Europe is the land of men and cities, and thus we return to Africa as the true hunter's paradise
Scarcely has the sun disappeared below the African horizon, than the hunter realises the novelty of his position in the wilderness; for a space of nearly half an hour the air vibrates with the sharp cricket-like cry, or deep hu their presence to each other From amidst a lofty ruined mass of rocks, which appeared by day deserted by every living creature, except a few lizards and poisonous snakes, a gri a proazes around at the doiven it dominion Man ht the lion may well be called monarch of all he surveys Froure on the rock, a few deep, dissatisfied growls co over the plain, strike the face of the rock, and echo back again in confused hty beast who thus, with no apparent effort, speaks to all within a range of several miles
From a far-distant and woody ravine, a fiend-like yell next breaks the silence of the night, and is followed by a deep-drawn, howling sigh, as the strand anders forth to search for the carrion of the day, or to capture such prey as he is capable of doing Busy, silent-lide past the hunter, and, with a snort of terror or a growl of anger,to let alone so apparently defenceless a creature as man seems to be, yet awed by a certain presence which the brute creation never thoroughly overcoain crackle the crisp leaves as they sca the bushes, and sniff the scent of the strange intruder; whilst the noiseless flapping of wings attracts for an instant the hunter's sight as soht-bird flies around hi that has intruded into its dole startles the hunter, and a cry of distress frohtened aniain relapse into their for prey fro herd; or a leopard has struck down the antelope that it has been cautiously watching and stalking during the past half-hour And then again a silence so still, so unbroken, follows the past turmoil, that the desert wanderer fancies he can hear the thin, fleecy clouds -absent but deeply-loved voice of one who should be near hier, all the novelty of the scene, however, exhausted nature usually exerts her sway, and the hyena's laugh or leopard's cry ceases to be heard, whilst the traveller passes into the unconsciousness of sleep, and dreams probably of scenes the very opposite of those a which is the reality--the dreareater part of his life has been passed, or the wild, unusual events transpiring around him