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To do all these things would take up a great deal of time; and they must be all done against the return of the quaggas, else the whole scheme would be a failure. Should the animals arrive upon the ground before the pit was covered in and all traces of the work removed, they would make off without entering the water, and perhaps never visit that vley again.
Some drink beer, and drink a good deal, but Choslullah thought it 'very wrong for Malay people, and not good for Christian people, to be drunk beasties; little wine or beer good for Christians, but not too plenty much. I gave him ten shillings for himself, at which he was enchanted, and again begged me to write to his master for him when I wanted to leave Caledon, and to be sure to say, 'Mind send same coachman. He planned to drive me back through Worcester, Burnt Vley, Paarl, and Stellenbosch a longer round; but he could do it in three days well, so as 'not cost Missus more money', and see a different country.
The huge body of the elephant coming suddenly into "his sunshine," and flinging its dark shadow over the vley, was distinct enough, and caused the kobaoba to get to his feet with an agility quite surprising for a creature of his build. At the same time a noise, something between a grunt and a whistle escaped him, as the water was ejected from his nostrils.
"Da's da ole wagon! da same spring an vley da same place dar hab been um trek-boken!" "A trek-boken!" cried Von Bloom and Hendrik, in a breath. "Ya, baas a mighty big one too; das da spoor of dem antelope See!" Von Bloom now comprehended all. The bareness of the country, the absence of the leaves on the lower bushes, the millions of small hoof-tracks, all were now explained.
Hendrik and Swartboy only accompanied him, for he could not yet bring himself to leave the children with no other protection than Totty almost as much a child as themselves. Hans, therefore, remained by the camp. At first the hunters followed the little rivulet that ran from the spring and vley.
A good brisk five-mile gallop over the veld to the farther extremity of the vley, however, somewhat calmed his exuberant spirits, and when at length I dismounted, the youngster was placid enough to be quite willing to follow at my heels with the bridle resting loosely upon his neck, or to stand still when it was allowed to trail upon the ground.
"It's not in the vley now," replied Charlie; "come here yourself; I've found blood, and, hallo! here's a newspaper! Why, it must be a literary lion! Look, Hans, can you make out the name? Howker, Dowker, or something o' that sort. Do lions ever go by that name?" "Bowker," exclaimed Hans, with a laugh.
There was a point where the water was easier of access than elsewhere a little to one side of where the wash or waste-stream of the lake ran out. It was a sort of cove with bright sandy beach, and approachable from the plain by a miniature gorge, hollowed out, no doubt, by the long usage of those animals who came to drink at the vley.
From the margin of the fountain there extended an open level vley, without tree or bush, that stretched away about a mile to the northward, where it was bounded by extensive grooves of wide-spreading mimosas. Up the middle of this vley stalked a troop of ten colossal giraffes, flanked by two large herds of blue wildebeests and zebras, with an advance guard of pallahs.
"That is rather a selfish remark of yours, Willem," said Hendrik. "The horse belongs to some one. I can see a saddle-mark on its back." "May be," muttered Willem, who thought nearly as much of his steed as his great roer. "For all that I'm glad it isn't mine." They then proceeded to the vley, where the other horse was still struggling in the shallow water.
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