The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1875-06-17
LOST IN AN AFRICA N WILDER
NESS.
BY ALBEIT HALL,

BY ALBERT HALL.
Captain Harris's expedition, on its
return from the Casban mountains,
chose an as yet untraveled route by way
of the Vaal river. Proceeding some
distance south of this river, the country
still seemed literal menagerie, afford
ing opportunities for the chase such as
the most enthusiastic sportsman could
scal cely hope for. Now they would
encounter herd of hellowing buffaloes,
now ride down a troop of towering
giraffes, now secure some new species OF
antelope, now bring low some tawny.
named and furious forest king or in
quisitive rhinoceros or thick -hided and
almost bullet. proof hippopotamus.
One day numbers of bleshoks-a
wLite.faced and variegated antelope
were seen grazing on the richly carpeted
plain. Captain Harris mounted his
iavorite steed and, his zeal in no whit
abated, dashed into the thick of the
herd A hill shaped like a pineapple,
about five miles to the east, he relied
upon as landmark to direct his return
to the road.
Securing the plain, an unerring
marksman, after several shots he de-
sisted as the herd continued to increase
from hundreds to thousands, reinforce
ments pouring in from every side. Dis.
mounting, he ladened his horse with
the parti colored robes of some of the
slain, and set out to rejoin his party.
But they were nowhere in sight. Strain
ing his eyes to discern the obscure
wagon tracks. he rode to and fro, search
ing in vain. The pineapple hill upon
which he had depended, by the refrac-
tion of the suns rays-so treacherous is
the mirage ia that region-nOw seemed
as if poised in the sky, and could no
longer be trusted as a guide Other.
wise, the sameness of the landscape
tended to confuse, and thus our traveller,
losing the points OF the compass, became
at last utterly bewidered.
1t was impossible to retrace his steps
over the plain so recently trampled by
innumerable herds. Now the white
tilt of wagon would seem to loom in
the distance, but would prove to be
only solitary quazza, or some other
denizen of the wilderness. Now group
of pigmy bushwomen, walking unheeded
among herd of blesboks, magnitied by
the mirage, he. would mistake for his
own attendants following with the cattle
quite o drove of oxen being neces.
sary appendage to the expedition for
the purpose of relays.
Fatigued with searching and burning
with thirst, he continued to ride hither
and thither, still on the watch for traces
of his caravan, nor finding in all the
howery waste--a veritable garden of
pinks and marigolds stream or pool
where he might moisten his parched
lips.
The refraction diasipating as the day
declined, three table-topped mountains
which had for some time served the
party as landmarks, again became visi-
BILE on the horizon. Consoling himself
with the thought that he was now at
least advancing in the same direction as
his company, Capt. Harris hastened
forward, refreshing himself with a
draught of clearest water from wind
ing river which he reached at dusk. Its
banks were bordered with willows and
it's sandy bed was imprinted with the
| footsteps of troop of lions.
The setting sun having given him the
bearing OF the three mountains, he now
discovered that he had crossed the road
and ridden too far TO the eastward. In
hope of retrieving his error he followed
the course of the river until, night
closing in, he was obliged to bivouac
among some bushes, the stars, which
are far more brilliant in that latitude
than in our northern skies, being con
cealed by the clouds of a gathering
thunderstorm.
As he was preparing for his night
rest, suddenly there CLEANED out upol
the water the light OF beacon.fre
Approaching it with the joyful expecta
ton of Joining his own people, imagin
his disappointment on beholding a bant
of bushmen, strolling dwellers of thos
plains, whose propensity for horse steal
ing made it necessary for our traveller
to retrace his steps with all haste ant
ouietness, lest the loss Of his stee'
should render the situation still NOR
deplorable.
The restiveness and uneasy snortini
of the horse indicated the presence o
lions in the vicinity; but fear of beinl
discovered by his two.legged neighbors
the bushmen, prevented Harris from
building fire for its protection or 10
the purposes of cooking. So the clam
ors of hunger had to remain unsatlsfiet
until, about midnight, having excavatet
an underground oven, he ventured y
light fire sufficient for roasting wilt
fowl, which served for his Christina
dinner, this being the 25th OF December
The morning set in with heavy rain
; and the traveller arose from his slee
drenched, cold, and cramped. Th
soil consisting mostly of red, loan
earth, the rain easily destroyed q
vestiges of the wagons and rendere
futile the hope Of finding the trai
Harris now decided TO follow the couri
of the river, which curved to the wee
) ward, several miles farther, and the
} should he not meet with his party,
cross the country in direct line to Il
. conical hill-a still visible landmark
thus intersecting the road at some poi
should it not be entirely obliterated.