The Somerset reporter., 1894-11-29

Tor a time and Try tne bush Tor ivory.
Before reaching Scio Pans, therefore,
we turned right banded and struck into
the bush with one wagon, the other,
in charge Of our head driver, being sent
on to the water, there to await our
coming
We had some Masarwa bushen with
us, and they Were as keen as hawks at
the prospect of showing us heavy game
and getting a liberal supply Of flesh
NorthWard we trekkcd steadily through
wild desoate country for the best part
Of one day and outspanned by desert
pool for the night Here we were great
~ disappointed 10 find no spoor Of Gle
phant, although giraffe ostrich, gems
box and harteheest We're fairly plenti-
full. Next day at dawn we again push
ed doggedly on, Angus and ! taking
different directions and riding some
miles ahead of the wagon ON the look
out for elephant spoor / rode behind
Masarwa at steady pace all morning
without finding the least sign of the
game we wanted, and after an off sad
die at midday once more pushed ON in
a northwesterly direction.
Rather suddenly we came upon a
klompic of giraffe, and as the elephants
seemed very much in the air and we
wanted meat | rammed the spurs in
and galloped headlong for the camels.
1t was desperately hot, and we were
shut up in thick, thorny bush in which
not a breath of wind stirred. and / con
scquently had not got my coat on. The
beast | rode for, IA fat, fresh young COW,
led me pretty dance of two miles, he'll
Tor leather, at "a terrific pace through
the very thorniest jungle she could pick,
and although | presently ranged close
up to her rump and with my third bull
let, firing from MY horse, brought her
down with crash, she had taken pref
ty heavy toll of me My flannel shirt
was torn to ribbons, and my chest and
shoulders We're rarely gashod about.
Never hunt camel, gentlemen, III a
thick bush without a stout coat ON.
That's the advice of an old veldtman,
and it's worth remembering | ought
to have known better that day, but l
was not prepared for game at that par
tlcular moment.
well, I stuck my knife into the
COWS back and found her we'll covered
with fat, and the Masarwa coming up
soon after we set to work to skin and
cut her up. Presently, having fastened
about 20 pounds of meat to my saddle
and carrying the long, prehensile tongue
dangling far below my belt, / saddled
up, leaving the Masarwa, who had a
calabash Of water, to finish the job and
wait for the wagon to pick him up the
next morning.
Il myself took a sweep north north
east with the intention of working
round to the wagon before shutdown.
81 had not left the Masarwa half an
hour when | suddenly, to my intense
SURPRISE cut the ST COR of wagon run
ming pretty we'll east and west and GO
ing westward 1t was not fresh, but at
the same time not very old either. 1t
might have been month or two old at
most. Now, thought !, what in the
mischief does this mean Very few
hunters use this veldt. | knew Khama
had sent no wagons that way this sea
son, and the only white man in front of
us this year WAS Dirk Sarreberg one of
the few Dutch hunters to whom khama
gave permission to hunt in his vcldt.
'Starreberg's wagon it could only be,
And yet it struck me as strange that
Dirk, whom | knew well-for he was
noted interior hunter-should be trek
king i'll this veldt. He was, | knew,
bound for the Victoria falls Probably,
like ourselves, cnticed by the unWonted
water supply and the possibility of y
slap at the elephants, he had turned off
somewhere between Nata river and
Daha and pushed across Tor the Chohe.
Thus reasoning, | turned my horse 5
head, and with the weStering sun DOW
on my right flank struck homeward for
the wagon. | rode on for half mile
and then came another strange thing.
AS | crossed an open glade ! saw com
ing toward me the figure of a man. |
knew in moment who it was The
tlouehing walk, the big, burly form,
the vast red beard, the rifle carricd--as
Dirk always carried his-by the nuzzle
end, with the stock poised behind his
SHOULDN'T Was none bur Dirk Stare
berg himself But there was something
amiss with him. He looked worn and
troubled, almost distraught, it seemed
t. me, at that distance, and he gazed
neither to the right nor left of him, but
passed hurriedly and very swiftly in
front Of me at distance of about 50
PAGES.
a Hello, Dirk shouted 'AlemaG-
tig, war loup jij: Wacht cen bite, Dirk
almighty, where are you off to? Wait
8 little, Dirk. To my utter astonish-
uent, the man took not the slightest no.
tice, but passed on. | became indig-
hant and yelled Dirk, Dirk, have you
no manners: It's me, George kenstone.
! want you. Stop Still the man passed
on. In another moment he had reached
the bush again, He turned now, beck
oned to me with his right hand, and in
another instant had disappeared into
the low forest
Il was extremely annoyed, and after
staring like fool for a second to two
struck in spurs rather sharply and gal
Ioped after him. | was not three sec
iuds in reaching the bush where he had
entered, but to my surprise Dirk had
vanished | searched hithcr and thithcr.
shouted-ayc. sWare-but still no Dirk.
! came back at length to the point where
had last seen the Bocr Surprise No.
3. There was my own spoor as plain as
a pikestaff in the red sand, but of Dirk
Starreberg not one trace Of spoor was to