g aas-vogels for upwards of two hours, and I realized,
as I had never done before, the intense loneliness of the veldt, and
something of what the horror must be of being lost on it. Even residents
have to dread this danger.

At that season the veldt boasted of few flowers, but birds were
plentiful, especially the large ones I have mentioned as forming a
valuable addition to the daily menu, and flocks of guinea-fowl, which
run along the ground making a peculiar chuckling noise, rarely flying,
but very quick at disappearing in the long grass. The quaint
secretary-bird was often to be seen stalking majestically along,
solitary and grotesque, with its high marching action. Then the
honey-birds must not be forgotten. They give voice to their peculiar
note as soon as they see a human being, whom they seem to implore to
follow them; and if they succeed in attracting attention, they fly from
tree to tree reiterating their call, till they lead the man whose
assistance they have sought to the spot where the honey is hidden, but
which they cannot reach unaided. As a rule, it is the natives who take
the trouble to obey their call and turn it to account.

The weeks slipped by all too quickly, and it was soon time to bid
farewell to Kalomo and its game-haunted flats, over which the iron horse
now winds its prosaic course on its way to the dim, mysterious North,
bringing noise and bustle in its train. In consequence the hunter and
the animal-lover have to travel farther on, but there will always be
room for all on that vast continent.

No matter what paths of life it may be the fortune of my readers to
tread, let me recommend those wearied with social bustle and the empty
amenities of present-day existence to pass a few weeks in the
comparative solitude of several pleasant companions "under the stars"
in North-Western Rhodesia, where they can still catch a glimpse of the
elusive zebras, with coats shining in the sun like burnished steel, and
hear the persistent call of the honey-bird. At night the roar of lions
may now and then cause them to turn in their sleep, and in their dreams
they may have visions of the animals that have charmed them during the
day--the stately eland, the graceful roan and sable antelopes, the
ungainly wildebeeste, and the funny old wart-hog, trotting along with
high action and tail erect. Besides gaining health and experiencing the
keenest enjoyment, they will know some of the pleasures vouchsafed to
those