"They're avil-looking birruds thim vultures, Masther Dick," said Dinny,
as he saw the great flap-winged birds sailing slowly through the air,
some of them always being in attendance upon the waggon, knowing,
apparently by instinct, that the companionship of the hunting-party
meant food for them.
They kept at a respectful distance, though; not on account of the guns
and rifles, for they seemed to know that they would not be molested, but
because of the dogs, who resented their attendance as an insult, and as
likely to deprive them of many a pleasant bone.
Pompey, Caesar, and Crassus would make a dash at the great birds
whenever they saw them upon the plain, charging down upon them
open-mouthed, while Rough'un went at them in a way full of guile,
hanging his head down, and keeping his nose close to the ground, as if
in search of something he had lost. He never seemed to be taking the
slightest notice of the vultures, even turning his head away, but all
the time he was sidling nearer and nearer, till feeling that he was
within easy reach, he would make a dash at the nearest bird.
But Rough'un succeeded no better than Pompey and his brethren, for the
vultures would take a few hops, spread their wings, and float up in the
air, as the dog rushed under them, leaving him barking most furiously at
the birds as they went.
"Ah, they're avil-looking birruds, thim vultures," said Dinny, "and we'd
never suffer 'em in ould Oireland. Shure, Saint Pathrick would have
dhruv out ivery mother's son of 'em before he'd set his foot in the
counthry. They're avil-looking bastes. I'll be asking the masther to
lind me a gun, and I'll go out shooting of 'em."
"I don't think father will let you, Dinny," replied Dick. "They're very
useful in their way, and clear off all the foul decaying carcases of the
animals that die on the plains."
"Shure and the flies would do all that a dale nater and claner," cried
Dinny. "And, oh, murther, Masther Dick, but it's hard work to keep the
flies off the mate out here. They come in shwarms, and I'm doing
nothing all day but kill 'em. I say, Masther Dick, dear, whin are we
going back?"
"Going back?" cried Dick. "I don't know. Not yet for months, I hope."
"Oh, murther, an' what'll become of us all? Sure we're never going near
any more of thim rivers, Masther Dick?"
"But we are, Dinny, we're trekking straight for one now."
"Not one with thim murthering crocodivils in it, Masther Dick?"
"Yes, Dinny; the Zambesi swarms with them, I believe, and they run very
large."
"Och, mother, mother! and it's a good thing ye don't know where yer poor
boy is all among black haythens, and lines, and crocodivils, and other
foreign bastes of prey. I niver thought I'd come to such a thing as
this. Shure it's a horrid counthry altogether."
"I think it a grand country, Dinny," cried Dick; "and I shall ask father
to stop out here for long enough."
"Ah, be aisy, Masther Dick, dear, and don't demane yerself to stop out
here among the dirty blacks. Shure ye're meant for better things. Jist
think of it, darlin', out here in the wildherness all these long months,
and never once tasted mutton or beef."
"But you've been living on prime venison and other game, Dinny."
"An' is it living ye call it--aiting thim bucks and doe things, like a
black, or a wild baste?" said Dinny in tones of contempt. "Not so much
as a pitaytie even or a pay. Shure I call it shtarving," grumbled
Dinny. "Look at that now."
"That" was poor Coffee, who was so much better that he had been out once
or twice upon short hunting expeditions, and was now tramping behind the
waggon with his brother, engaged in what cannot better be described than
as a game of romps with the dogs.
For these welcomed the advances of the Zulu boys with delight, racing
and careering round them, making fierce attacks, and allowing themselves
to be seized and thumped and rolled over, in what at times was a regular
tangle of dogs and boys, after which there was a run to overtake the
waggon.
Dinny, in spite of his grumbling, was a good deal pleased upon this day,
for the route of the waggon took them by several salt-pools, whose
waters the dogs rushed to lap, but came back shaking their heads and
barking furiously, growling at Dick and Jack, who laughed at them, as if
they were resenting a trick that had been played at their expense.
These salt-pools were very interesting, the salt forming in quite a
crust, like ice, some inches below the surface; while to the surprise of
Mr Rogers, he found beautiful palm and the queerly-shaped baobab-trees,
flourishing in the salt-impregnated soil.
The long weary trek brought them in sight of the fine broad river along
whose banks they had now to journey till they reached the black king's
town; and they had not gone far before they saw in the distance a couple
of canoes upon the water, while directly afterwards they passed a clump
of trees and came upon a fishing-party, three of the number being in a
large dug-out canoe, the other upon a mass of rock surrounded by reeds.
So intent were the fishermen upon their work amongst the great
water-lilies that dotted the quiet surface of the river close in shore,
that they did not see the approach of Dick and Jack, closely followed by
Mr Rogers to protect them from harm. The sight was so novel that the
young Englishmen stood still amongst the reeds watching the blacks, one
of whom managed the canoe by means of a pole, while the others watched
their opportunity, and then darted their long slender fish-spears down
into the transparent water, and several times over brought up a
good-sized fish.
They were strong, well-built savages, whose belief in clothing went as
far as a little apron; and one of them had his hair carefully twisted,
and tied up into an absurd-looking pigtail, which stood straight up from
the back of his head.
The English party stood watching them for some minutes, and then
advanced towards the shore, making signs. But the moment their presence
was discovered the men in the canoe uttered a shout, and their companion
on the shore plunged into the water to join them, the whole party
paddling rapidly off as soon as their companion was hauled in to the
bottom of their canoe, a feat not performed except at great risk of
overturning the heavy clumsily-formed boat.
The General was beckoned up to join them by Mr Rogers, but they paid no
more heed to him than to the Englishman, their sole thought being how
best they could make their escape.
"They'll go and announce our coming as that of enemies, I suppose," said
Mr Rogers, who longed for a better knowledge of the people's tongue.
There was no help for it; and as decidedly the best plan was to journey
through on to the royal city, the waggon was kept going, and that night
they camped at a short distance from the river, hearing no lions. But
as they sat by their watch-fire, there was a peculiar hoarse loud
bellowing noise, evidently coming from the river-side.
As very often happened to be the case when there was anything unusual
heard, Dinny was sitting with Jack keeping the first watch, and a good
blazing fire.
"Hark at that now!" he said. "Hark at that, Masther Jack!"
And he half rose and made as if to flee to the shelter of the waggon.
"Yes, I heard it, Dinny," said Jack quietly. "It was pretty loud wasn't
it?"
"Loud, Masther Jack? It was horrid, shure! And why don't ye shoot?"
"Because there's nothing to shoot at."
"Nothing to shute at? Jist hark at him! Why, there it is again."
As Dinny said, there it was again; and certainly the noise was terrible
and awe-inspiring, heard in the stillness of the night by the crackling
of the great fire, whose glow lit up waggon and trees around in a
strange way, casting grotesque shadows behind.
"Well, it's ever so far-off; and I don't know what it is. Perhaps it's
an elephant," said Jack.
"An illephant!" said Dinny, in tones of disgust; "jist as if an
illephant ever made a noise like that! Why, it's a lion, Masther Jack."
"Nonsense, Dinny! Lions don't make a noise like that."
"Shure, an' arn't we close to the river, where it's mortial damp?"
"To be sure we are; but it isn't damp here, Dinny."
"Shure, but it is!" cried Dinny. "There's a hoarse roar for ye!"
The peculiar noise came again, and was repeated from a distance, and
again in the other direction.
"That's no lion, Dinny," said Jack.
"Not a lion? Bedad, and I'd bet me head that it is, and a lion that's
hoarse wid a horrid bad cowld--jist the same as meself, and a sore
throat in the bargain, after that wet night we had the other day."
"No, that can't be a lion," said Jack again. "Hulloa! who's there?"
The _click_-_click_ of Jack's gun was heard as a dark form was seen
approaching. But the familiar voice of Mr Rogers made the boy lower
his piece.
"I thought I'd come and have a look at you, my boy," said Mr Rogers.
"Do you hear the hippopotamus?"
"Shure, no, sor; but there's a great big lion wid a terrible cowld,
roaring away for his mate; and I'd thank ye kindly if ye'd shute him at
once. There he goes, sor!"
"That's not a lion, Dinny. That's a hippopotamus," replied Mr Rogers,
smiling.
"Shure, an' if he can roar like that, he'll be worse than a lion, sor,"
said Dinny, "so hadn't ye betther shute at once?"
"Dinny doesn't want you to shoot at the hippopotamus, father," said
Jack, laughing. "He wants you to shoot at shadows!"
Mr Rogers laughed, and after staying a little while by the fire,
listening to the distant noises of the huge amphibious animals that
abounded in the great stream, he quietly went back to the waggon.
The departure of his master was the signal for the renewal of Dinny's
fears, which he showed in a very peculiar way.
Jack had just thrown a few more pieces of wood upon the fire, which
blazed up directly; and then, taking his place again, he was making
himself comfortable, when there was a tremendous hollow roar, made by a
hippopotamus, apparently pretty close to them.
Dinny immediately shifted his position, getting close up to Jack, who
did not say anything, but feeling uncomfortably warm dodged a little
farther off.
That was of no avail, for Dinny followed him, getting closer still, with
the result that in the course of the next hour Jack was driven right
round the fire; and he was just about to commence a second tour when the
General came, with Dick, to relieve the watch, and Jack went off to bed.