Part 16 (1/2)
”Yes, I was carried a hundred yards or more, and scarcely had my skin broken A lion is like a cat in that; he can hold a live creature in his e it, just as I have seen a cat carry a mouse, and when it put the h it hadn't been touched”
”I heard you had been carried, Hans, but never heard all the story Hoas it?”
”I was out after porcupines, and was lying down one night near a porcupine's hole, waiting for hi-knife and a large knob-kerrie, hich to knock the porcupine on the nose; for that, as you know, kills hirass nearripped my back and lifted me up The brute pressed his claws into ingon to iven way, I should have soon been laid hold of in a far h to know that if I struggled I should have my neck broken or le, but quietly drew ht at first of trying to stab him in the heart, but I could not reach that part of him, and his skin looked so loose that I feared I could not strike deep enough, carried as I was I kneould be life or death with ashed the lion's nose, and cut it through The lion droppedwith pain He stood for an instant looking at me, but I did not ain More than once he ca the blood as it poured from his nose; but there I reain I know a buffalo and an ox are very sensitive about the nose, and a cat, if just tapped on the nose, can't stand it; so I thought a lion ht be the same, and so it proved, or I should not be here to tell you the story I think we ood sport up the country,” continued Hans, ”and lions o out of er with a lion than even with an elephant, and when you have shot a lion, what is he worth? His skin will not fetch thirty rix-dollars, and his teeth are only used for ornaments Now if you kill an elephant, he is worth twenty or thirty pounds at least So I will leave the lions to you, Hans, and I will go after the elephants; but shall we arrange our shooting laws?”
”Yes, we had better do so now,” replied Hans, ”before we coame”
”Well, my plan always has been, let us shoot for food in turns; or if we all shoot together, divide the st us When we come to elephants, let it be that the first bullet entitles the shooter to half the ivory; and whoever puts in another bullet, to a share What say you to this, ood,” said Hans; ”for et a bullet into an elephant, and ether, and kill our gaether, we mark the tusks, and all share alike If we are alone, and kill alone, the tusks belong to whoever kills We are honest men and tried; none of us will shi+rk his fair risk, and no et a share of the ivory”
”Hans' plan is the best,” exclaimed several
”I have seen friendshi+ps lessened by the disputes over dead elephants,”
exclaimed Victor, ”and Hans' plan will prevent disputes If you and I fire together, we may both think our bullet struck the elephant first
It is better to share, or to shoot alone”
”My Kaffir tells me we shall find elephants in plenty up the country
Noe could but capture a young elephant, and bring him safely back to Natal, we should e sulish ame here,”
said Hans ”They are, I have heard, all crowded together in that country, and have no elephants or large game wild, so they must wish for our land, and some of them come out here to see what sport is”
”There is ame,” said Hofh ivory is valuable, gold is more so”
”Gold!” exclaiold there?”
”About two years ago I oa Bay, who caoa Bay, and he said that froold was found in the rivers
He showed ht from natives The country about there is very unhealthy, and oxen or horses don't live well; therefore white o in from there to find it He said, too, that the country called Sofala was really Ophir, and that the Patriarchs got their gold from about there”
”I think, Hofold, I will be content to hunt for elephants One is certain, the other is risky”
”We are out to hunt elephants, Hans,” replied Hofman, ”and that is ill do; but if we at any time find ourselves near rivers where there are no elephants, we ht be done,” replied Hans, ”but old shall be skins and ivory Hark to the hyenas! how they yell to-night! There is a lion about, I should fancy”
”A lion or a leopard,” replied Victor ”It is very strange how the weaker anier one Before I left the borders of the old country, I more than once saw my cattle beat off a hyena They would form a circle, and show a bold front of horns, and run at the hyena if he ca equal to a troop of baboons,” said Hof and as wise as men I have watched them often, and they set one of their number to watch for enemies; and if he does not do his duty, the others will beat hi to stalk near the baboons that lived near , and they never but once were caught asleep I et quite close to the me, and then stood up and ran at thest thee, and so powerful they could have torn me to pieces had they attacked me; but they at once bit and tore the sentry, who scarcely atteh he knew he deserved to be punished I can tell you a strange story about these baboons
”There cahbourhood a leopard, and he lived well for some time, till we hunted him, and he had to keep to the bush Now it turned out that the leopard killed a baboon, and ate him The baboons feared to attack the leopard, as he would be toothemselves on him They therefore followed him about, but at a cautious distance After a tio to the water than the baboons ca him, and they were so active that the leopard could not attack them successfully The leopard started off to leave the country, but the baboons followed, barking and screa after him For three days the baboons followed him, and would neither let him eat nor drink, when the leopard became quite weak from thirst and want of food There were so many baboons, too, that they never let the leopard rest, and thus he orn out As soon as the baboons found he eak, they assembled around him, and attacked him in earnest, and killed him in a few minutes I had missed the baboons frohbours that they had seen baboons following and worrying a leopard, and at last the baboons were heard worrying so, and this turned out to be the leopard, which was found dead and fearfullybefore,” said Bernhard, ”and I know the baboons are capable of it; they are very wise”
”Yes,” said Hans, ”they are useful too; for whatever a baboon eats, a man may venture to eat also This is the case with ht never to starve, if he lives near where monkeys are; for you can watch what fruit or sorts a monkey eats, and that will show you what you may venture upon You have been down at the bay for some ti about the large snakes that are there?”