CHAPTER TWENTY SIX.
HOW DINNY HEARD A LION WID A BAD COWLD.
"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-partymeant food for them.
They kept at a respectful distance, though; not on account of the gunsand rifles, for they seemed to know that they would not be molested, butbecause of the dogs, who resented their attendance as an insult, and aslikely to deprive them of many a pleasant bone.
Pompey, Caesar, and Crassus would make a dash at the great birdswhenever they saw them upon the plain, charging down upon themopen-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 ifin search of something he had lost. He never seemed to be taking theslightest notice of the vultures, even turning his head away, but allthe time he was sidling nearer and nearer, till feeling that he waswithin easy reach, he would make a dash at the nearest bird.
But Rough'un succeeded no better than Pompey and his brethren, for thevultures would take a few hops, spread their wings, and float up in theair, as the dog rushed under them, leaving him barking most furiously atthe birds as they went.
"Ah, they're avil-looking birruds, thim vultures," said Dinny, "and we'dnever suffer 'em in ould Oireland. Shure, Saint Pathrick would havedhruv out ivery mother's son of 'em before he'd set his foot in thecounthry. They're avil-looking bastes. I'll be asking the masther tolind me a gun, and I'll go out shooting of 'em."
"I don't think father will let you, Dinny," replied Dick. "They're veryuseful in their way, and clear off all the foul decaying carcases of theanimals that die on the plains."
"Shure and the flies would do all that a dale nater and claner," criedDinny. "And, oh, murther, Masther Dick, but it's hard work to keep theflies off the mate out here. They come in shwarms, and I'm doingnothing all day but kill 'em. I say, Masther Dick, dear, whin are wegoing 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 nearany 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 verylarge."
"Och, mother, mother! and it's a good thing ye don't know where yer poorboy is all among black haythens, and lines, and crocodivils, and otherforeign bastes of prey. I niver thought I'd come to such a thing asthis. Shure it's a horrid counthry altogether."
"I think it a grand country, Dinny," cried Dick; "and I shall ask fatherto stop out here for long enough."
"Ah, be aisy, Masther Dick, dear, and don't demane yerself to stop outhere among the dirty blacks. Shure ye're meant for better things. Jistthink 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 ablack, or a wild baste?" said Dinny in tones of contempt. "Not so muchas a pitaytie even or a pay. Shure I call it shtarving," grumbledDinny. "Look at that now."
"That" was poor Coffee, who was so much better that he had been out onceor twice upon short hunting expeditions, and was now tramping behind thewaggon with his brother, engaged in what cannot better be described thanas a game of romps with the dogs.
For these welcomed the advances of the Zulu boys with delight, racingand careering round them, making fierce attacks, and allowing themselvesto be seized and thumped and rolled over, in what at times was a regulartangle of dogs and boys, after which there was a run to overtake thewaggon.
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, whosewaters the dogs rushed to lap, but came back shaking their heads andbarking furiously, growling at Dick and Jack, who laughed at them, as ifthey were resenting a trick that had been played at their expense.
These salt-pools were very interesting, the salt forming in quite acrust, like ice, some inches below the surface; while to the surprise ofMr 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 alongwhose banks they had now to journey till they reached the black king'stown; and they had not gone far before they saw in the distance a coupleof canoes upon the water, while directly afterwards they passed a clumpof trees and came upon a fishing-party, three of the number being in alarge dug-out canoe, the other upon a mass of rock surrounded by reeds.
So intent were the fishermen upon their work amongst the greatwater-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 byMr Rogers to protect them from harm. The sight was so novel that theyoung Englishmen stood still amongst the reeds watching the blacks, oneof whom managed the canoe by means of a pole, while the others watchedtheir opportunity, and then darted their long slender fish-spears downinto the transparent water, and several times over brought up agood-sized fish.
They were strong, well-built savages, whose belief in clothing went asfar 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 fromthe back of his head.
The English party stood watching them for some minutes, and thenadvanced towards the shore, making signs. But the moment their presencewas discovered the men in the canoe uttered a shout, and their companionon the shore plunged into the water to join them, the whole partypaddling rapidly off as soon as their companion was hauled in to thebottom of their canoe, a feat not performed except at great risk ofoverturning the heavy clumsily-formed boat.
The General was beckoned up to join them by Mr Rogers, but they paid nomore heed to him than to the Englishman, their sole thought being howbest they could make their escape.
"They'll go and announce our coming as that of enemies, I suppose," saidMr 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 journeythrough on to the royal city, the waggon was kept going, and that nightthey camped at a short distance from the river, hearing no lions. Butas they sat by their watch-fire, there was a peculiar hoarse loudbellowing noise, evidently coming from the river-side.
As very often happened to be the case when there was anything unusualheard, Dinny was sitting with Jack keeping the first watch, and a goodblazing 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'tit?"
"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 terribleand awe-inspiring, heard in the stillness of the night by the cracklingof the great fire, whose glow lit up waggon and trees around in astrange way, casting grotesque shadows behind.
"Well, it's ever so far-off; and I don't know what it is. Perhaps it'san elephant," said Jack.
"An illephant!" said Dinny, in tones of disgust; "jist as if anillephant 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, andagain 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'shoarse wid a horrid bad cowld--jist the same as meself, and a sorethroat 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 seenapproaching. But the familiar voice of Mr Rogers made the boy lowerhis 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 atonce. 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," saidJack, 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 thatabounded in the great stream, he quietly went back to the waggon.
The departure of his master was the signal for the renewal of Dinny'sfears, which he showed in a very peculiar way.
Jack had just thrown a few more pieces of wood upon the fire, whichblazed up directly; and then, taking his place again, he was makinghimself comfortable, when there was a tremendous hollow roar, made by ahippopotamus, apparently pretty close to them.
Dinny immediately shifted his position, getting close up to Jack, whodid not say anything, but feeling uncomfortably warm dodged a littlefarther off.
That was of no avail, for Dinny followed him, getting closer still, withthe result that in the course of the next hour Jack was driven rightround the fire; and he was just about to commence a second tour when theGeneral came, with Dick, to relieve the watch, and Jack went off to bed.