"Look! the plain is on fire."
The horses were reined in, and as they gazed in the direction pointed
out, it was evident that there was what seemed to be a very large fire
rolling across the plain; the white smoke-clouds rising quite high.
"Is it the grass on fire?" said Dick, as Mr Rogers brought his little
double glass to bear.
"It is no fire at all," said his father, "but dust. There is a great
herd of buffalo crossing the plain, and we ought to get a shot."
Click! click! went the lock of Jack's rifle, and he leaped down to
tighten his girths.
"No!" said Mr Rogers; "they are oxen and horsemen. It is a large party
crossing the plain--an emigration of Boers, I'll be bound."
They rode gently on towards the long line of dust-clouds, which was
passing at right angles to them; and as they drew nearer they could
plainly see beneath the lurid sky figures of men on horseback, blacks
mounted on oxen, and waggon after waggon with its enormously long team.
As they approached, some of the sun-tanned, dejected-looking men riding
in front turned their heads, and stared sullenly at the little party,
but they seemed to have no desire for any friendly intercourse; and when
Mr Rogers spoke to them they replied sullenly in broken English mixed
with Dutch, that they were going north.
They were curious-looking men from an English point of view, and would
have been greatly improved by the use of a pair of scissors to their
long, abundant, fair hair. Each man carried his rifle ready for the
first enemy that might cross his path, and their numerous black servants
trudged on with loads or rode the oxen.
These blacks, too, took the attention of the boys, one being a perfect
giant in his way, a great square shouldered fellow of quite six-feet-six
in height; while another, mounted upon an ox, had his hair twisted up
into a couple of points, standing up from his head like the horns of an
antelope.
Every one looked jaded and worn out, as if with a long journey; and the
dejected aspect of the masters was traceable even in their dogs, one of
which went on in front with his head, down and tongue lolling out,
aiming evidently at some particular point.
So surly were the leaders of the party that Mr Rogers made no further
effort to be friendly, but sat with his sons looking-on, till the whole
troop, extending several hundred yards, had filed by, under the cloud of
dust shuffled up by the oxen's feet; and then, as the little
hunting-party rode on, they could see as it were a cloud go rolling
slowly over the plain, the emigrant party being quite hidden by its
folds, till the dreary dust-covered plain was passed.
"How are we to get at these rhinoceroses?" said Mr Rogers, as they rode
homeward. "We must have one, boys; but I don't want to have out the
Zulus to track, for fear of their getting injured."
"Perhaps we shall come across one, father, when we don't expect it,"
said Dick. "Let's try to get a giraffe or two, and we may find a
rhinoceros without hunting for it."
"Very wisely said," replied Mr Rogers; "perhaps we shall."