_ 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-party meant food for them.
They kept at a respectful distance, though; not on account of the guns and rifles, for they seemed to know that they would not be molested, but because of the dogs, who resented their attendance as an insult, and as likely to deprive them of many a pleasant bone.
Pompey, Caesar, and Crassus would make a dash at the great birds whenever they saw them upon the plain, charging down upon them open-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 if in search of something he had lost. He never seemed to be taking the slightest notice of the vultures, even turning his head away, but all the time he was sidling nearer and nearer, till feeling that he was within easy reach, he would make a dash at the nearest bird.
But Rough'un succeeded no better than Pompey and his brethren, for the vultures would take a few hops, spread their wings, and float up in the air, as the dog rushed under them, leaving him barking most furiously at the birds as they went.
"Ah, they're avil-looking birruds, thim vultures," said Dinny, "and we'd never suffer 'em in ould Oireland. Shure, Saint Pathrick would have dhruv out ivery mother's son of 'em before he'd set his foot in the counthry. They're avil-looking bastes. I'll be asking the masther to lind me a gun, and I'll go out shooting of 'em."
"I don't think father will let you, Dinny," replied Dick. "They're very useful in their way, and clear off all the foul decaying carcases of the animals that die on the plains."
"Shure and the flies would do all that a dale nater and claner," cried Dinny. "And, oh, murther, Masther Dick, but it's hard work to keep the flies off the mate out here. They come in shwarms, and I'm doing nothing all day but kill 'em. I say, Masther Dick, dear, whin are we going 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 near any 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 very large."
"Och, mother, mother! and it's a good thing ye don't know where yer poor boy is all among black haythens, and lines, and crocodivils, and other foreign bastes of prey. I niver thought I'd come to such a thing as this. Shure it's a horrid counthry altogether."
"I think it a grand country, Dinny," cried Dick; "and I shall ask father to stop out here for long enough."
"Ah, be aisy, Masther Dick, dear, and don't demane yerself to stop out here among the dirty blacks. Shure ye're meant for better things. Jist think 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 a black, or a wild baste?" said Dinny in tones of contempt. "Not so much as a pitaytie even or a pay. Shure I call it shtarving," grumbled Dinny. "Look at that now."
"That" was poor Coffee, who was so much better that he had been out once or twice upon short hunting expeditions, and was now tramping behind the waggon with his brother, engaged in what cannot better be described than as a game of romps with the dogs.
For these welcomed the advances of the Zulu boys with delight, racing and careering round them, making fierce attacks, and allowing themselves to be seized and thumped and rolled over, in what at times was a regular tangle of dogs and boys, after which there was a run to overtake the waggon.
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, whose waters the dogs rushed to lap, but came back shaking their heads and barking furiously, growling at Dick and Jack, who laughed at them, as if they were resenting a trick that had been played at their expense.
These salt-pools were very interesting, the salt forming in quite a crust, like ice, some inches below the surface; while to the surprise of Mr 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 along whose banks they had now to journey till they reached the black king's town; and they had not gone far before they saw in the distance a couple of canoes upon the water, while directly afterwards they passed a clump of trees and came upon a fishing-party, three of the number being in a large dug-out canoe, the other upon a mass of rock surrounded by reeds.
So intent were the fishermen upon their work amongst the great water-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 by Mr Rogers to protect them from harm. The sight was so novel that the young Englishmen stood still amongst the reeds watching the blacks, one of whom managed the canoe by means of a pole, while the others watched their opportunity, and then darted their long slender fish-spears down into the transparent water, and several times over brought up a good-sized fish.
They were strong, well-built savages, whose belief in clothing went as far 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 from the back of his head.
The English party stood watching them for some minutes, and then advanced towards the shore, making signs. But the moment their presence was discovered the men in the canoe uttered a shout, and their companion on the shore plunged into the water to join them, the whole party paddling rapidly off as soon as their companion was hauled in to the bottom of their canoe, a feat not performed except at great risk of overturning the heavy clumsily-formed boat.
The General was beckoned up to join them by Mr Rogers, but they paid no more heed to him than to the Englishman, their sole thought being how best they could make their escape.
"They'll go and announce our coming as that of enemies, I suppose," said Mr 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 journey through on to the royal city, the waggon was kept going, and that night they camped at a short distance from the river, hearing no lions. But as they sat by their watch-fire, there was a peculiar hoarse loud bellowing noise, evidently coming from the river-side.
As very often happened to be the case when there was anything unusual heard, Dinny was sitting with Jack keeping the first watch, and a good blazing 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't it?"
"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 terrible and awe-inspiring, heard in the stillness of the night by the crackling of the great fire, whose glow lit up waggon and trees around in a strange way, casting grotesque shadows behind.
"Well, it's ever so far-off; and I don't know what it is. Perhaps it's an elephant," said Jack.
"An illephant!" said Dinny, in tones of disgust; "jist as if an illephant 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, and again 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's hoarse wid a horrid bad cowld--jist the same as meself, and a sore throat 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 seen approaching. But the familiar voice of Mr Rogers made the boy lower his 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 at once. 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," said Jack, 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 that abounded in the great stream, he quietly went back to the waggon.
The departure of his master was the signal for the renewal of Dinny's fears, which he showed in a very peculiar way.
Jack had just thrown a few more pieces of wood upon the fire, which blazed up directly; and then, taking his place again, he was making himself comfortable, when there was a tremendous hollow roar, made by a hippopotamus, apparently pretty close to them.
Dinny immediately shifted his position, getting close up to Jack, who did not say anything, but feeling uncomfortably warm dodged a little farther off.
That was of no avail, for Dinny followed him, getting closer still, with the result that in the course of the next hour Jack was driven right round the fire; and he was just about to commence a second tour when the General came, with Dick, to relieve the watch, and Jack went off to bed. _