New-York tribune., 1906-06-17

water 1t was however, a sandy belt, ana this
made our progress slow. As we podded along great
locks of eagles and vutures hovered over us.
Finally one afternoon we reached khP-lontein
where huge black rock, towering to helght Oh two
hundred feet stands out IN soltary
mai jesty the plain. In the sha-
dow of the rock little store,
and after turning the donkeys loose
to craze started toward it, to pay
my respects to its keeper, who,
despite the fact that white men
were rare visitors had not taken
the trouble to come out to greet us, =.
but had merely stood staring Stol-
idly in the doorway, and then had
disappeared within. There was
apparently no other human beng
about the place; but when L was
about fifty yards away from the
house my attention was sud
denly drawn to huge ostrich G
which was coming with long
strides in my direction. L
QuCkened my pace. So did the /,<
ostrich. | began to run. The w
big bird did the same, and /r/FS
when | bounded in through
the door it at the step. sossS sesrS
Great heavensl" | ~
claimed to the old man, that
bird of yours is a menace to r
human life and liberty and
should be shot at oncel" -
1T is So, answered the -
phegnatic Boer picking up @@'
long whip and starting out.
The whip had evidently been
used before because the
trich seeing it, trotted off
toward camp, where the
boys had been viewing and laughing at my
for life. Now, however, it their
turn to They lost no time about it, but
fled for the trees with the long legged bird
in hot pursuit, and Clambered up into the
branches with agility that would have done
credit to the monkeys we had seen.
The ostrich now turned its attention toward
the dOnkeyS, and | became much alarmed,
because the dIsembOwelment of or more of them
would be great calamity to us. The bird approached
Jack, best donkey, and when the latter instead of
running, met it face to face it suddenly thrust
leg in blow that would have split skull if it had
landed squarely. The sharp toes grazed the end
of Jacks as he threw back his head The blood
spurted, and he whirled about and shot with
both feet. The ostrich jumped back in astonish-
ment, and then toward the store again.
Happier in Tree
NOW'S your chance," 1 shouted to the inmates
gun and shoot it"
THANK We kindly, old chap; but we're 'apper
'ere!" called back Lawler, who originally hailed
from London.
| then told the Boer that nv friends couldn't
spend the night in the trees, nor / beseged in the
store, and that he must kill his bird. He answered
that he would stop the trouble and, taking his whip
again, finally drove the ostrich into the kraa where
the murderous creature safely inclosed for the
night.
Our shoes having become so worn that we were
literally in our bare feet put the old in good
humOr that evening by buying for each of a pair
OF ammunition boots, which made of leather
hard and stiff that it is like wood, but which are
on this account, an excellent protection against
snakes and thorns. He walked out with little
way when we started the next morning, and
peated the warnings we had heard so often.
After losing day because our feet became
and swollen from the boots that had to rest,
came, within week, to the gloomy banks of the
Limpopo beyond which stretched the country of
our dreams. In the dry the Lmpopo
Crocodile River is harmless little stream winding
its way among the hills, flowing through the veldts,
fully hnt,-a