The Yale expositor., 1897-01-15

and there were single fiat-topped MINI
osa trees. To our right little stream.
which had cut deep channel for itself
in the bosom of the slope, flowed mu-
sically on between banks green with
the maiden-hair, wild asparagus, and
many beautiful grasses. The bedrock
here was red granite, and in the course
of many centuries of patient washing
the water had followed out some of
the huge slabs in it's path into great
troughs and cups, and these we used
for Earthquakes. No Roman lady,
with her baths of porphyry or alabas-
ter, could have had more delicious
spot to lave herself than we had within
fifty yards of our skerm or rough in
closure of mimosa thorn that we had
dragged together round the cart to pro-
tect us from the attacks of lions, of
which there were several about, as l
knew from their spoor, though we had
neither heard nor seen them.
1T was little nook where the eddy
of the stream had washed away mass
of soil, and on the edge of it there
| grew a most beautiful old mimosa
| thorn. Beneath the thorn was a large
smooth slab of granite fringed all
with maiden-hair, and other ferns, that
sloped gently down to pool of the
clearest sparkling water, which lay in
bowl of granite about ten feet wide
by five deep in the center. Here to
this slab we went every morning to
battle, and that delightful bath is
among the most pleasant of my hunt
ing "reminiscences, as it is also for rea
sons that will presently appear, among
the most painful.
1T was a lovely night, and Harry
and sat there to the windward of the
fire, at which the two Kafirs were
busily employed in cooking some i'm
| pala steaks off buck which Harry,
to his great joy, had shot that morn
ing, and were as perfectly contented
with ourselves and the world at large
as two people could possibly be. The
night was beautiful, and it would re-
quire somebody with more words on
] the tip of his tongue than l have to
describe the chastened majesty of the
moonlit wilds. Away forever and for
ever, away to the mysterious north,
rolled the great bush ocean over which
the silence hung like a heavy cloud.
There beneath us a mile or more to
the right rolled the wild Oliphant
river, and mirror-like flashed back the
moon, whose silver spears were SILVER
ed on its breast, and then tossed in
twisted lines of light far and wide
about the mountains and the plain.
Down upon its banks grew great tim
ber-trees that through the Silly silence
pointed solemnly to heaven, and the
beauty of the night lay upon them like
a dream. Everywhere was silence ST.
lence in the starred depths, silence in
the fair bosom of the sleeping earth.
Now, if ever, great thoughts might rise
i'll mans mind, and for a space he
might lose his littleness in the sense
that he partook of the pure immensely
about him. Almost might he hear the
echoes of angelic voices, as the spirits
poised on bent and rushing pinions
swept EDWARDS from universe to uni
verse; and distinguished the white fin
gers of the wind playing in the tresses
of the trees.
"Hark! what was that?
From far away down the river
there comes mighty rolling sound,
then another, and another 1t is the
lion seeking his meat.
Il saw Harry shiver and turn a little
pale. He was plucky boy enough, but
the roar of lion for the first time in
the solemn bush veldt at night is apt
to shake the nerves of any lad.
ITO BE coNTISUeD.I