time for
collecting fuel. They had not gone far when Percy exclaimed, "Hallo,
what's that? What an enormous bird!" And Denis, looking to the right,
in which direction Percy pointed, saw an ostrich scampering away across
the plain.

Both the dogs instantly started off in chase, but the ostrich quickly
outstripped them; and Denis, fearing that they might lose themselves or
get exhausted to no purpose, called them back.

"Did you mark the spot it started from?" he asked eagerly. "We must try
to find it. The chances are it was sitting on its eggs, and if they are
tolerably fresh, they will serve us for food and liquid too."

"I think I can calculate the whereabouts of the place it rose from,"
said Percy; and they hastened on, keeping a little apart, that they
might be able to examine a wider extent of ground than if they had been
together. Denis could see nothing like a nest, and he began to fear
that the ostrich had been merely resting after being chased, and that
their hunt would be fruitless.

"It can't be helped; we must make for the wood, or we shall not be able
to see our way," he shouted to Percy.

Just then the latter exclaimed, "Hurrah! hurrah! five magnificent eggs!"
and he held up one of them with both hands.

Denis hurried to the spot. There, sure enough, resting in the centre of
a clump of dry grass, with otherwise very little protection, were four
large white eggs besides the one Percy had in his hand, each large
enough to afford a good meal to them both.

Their hunger would have prompted them then and there to sit down and eat
the contents raw, but Denis wisely advised that they should restrain
their appetites and hasten on to the clump of trees. They accordingly
each secured two in their handkerchiefs and Percy carried the fifth in
his hand.

Although the sun had sunk by the time they got close to the wood, there
was still light sufficient to enable them to collect a supply of broken
branches and leaves for their fuel.

"Take care that you do not catch hold of a snake, fancying you are about
to pick up a stick," cried Denis. "I nearly did so just now.
Fortunately the creature wriggled off more frightened at me than I was
at it."

"You may trust me for that," said Percy; "but what do you say, instead
of sleeping on the ground, to climbing up into a tree? I see one with
the branches sufficiently low to enable us to get into it without
difficulty. We should at least be out of the reach o