ble had it
remained in the vicinity.

In a week Tom was convalescent; he was still, however, very stiff and
sore. A hammock was therefore slung under the tilt of one of the
waggons, the sides were drawn up to allow of a free passage of air, and
the caravan then went forward on its journey.

For the next fortnight nothing of importance happened; sometimes the
journeys were short, sometimes extremely long, being regulated entirely
by the occurrence of water. At many of the halting-places a good deal
of trade was done, as the news of the coming of the caravan spread far
ahead of it, and the natives for a considerable distance on each side of
the line of route came down to trade with it. They brought with them
skins of beasts and birds, small packets of gold-dust, ostrich feathers,
and occasionally ivory. Mr Harvey was well content with his success so
far.

For some time past, owing to the disturbed state of the country and the
demand for waggons occasioned by the war, the number of traders who had
made their way north had been very small, and the natives consequently
were eager to buy cotton and cloth, and to get rid of the articles which
they had been accumulating for the purpose of barter with the whites.
Never before, Mr Harvey said, had he done so good a trade in so short a
time.

At the end of the fortnight after starting Tom was again able to take
his seat in the saddle and ride quietly along by the side of the
caravan, Mr Harvey warning him on no account to go above a walking pace
at present, as a jerk or a jar might break the newly-knit bones, and
undo all the work that had been effected.

In the meantime Dick, accompanied by one or other of the hunters, always
rode out from the line of march, and had no difficulty in providing an
ample supply of game. He was careful, however, not to shoot more than
was required, for both he and Mr Harvey viewed with abhorrence the
taking of life unnecessarily, merely for the purpose of sport. He was
able, nevertheless, to kill a great many deer without feeling that their
flesh was wasted; for not only were the number of mouths in the caravan
large, and their powers of eating wonderful, but the natives who came in
to trade were always glad to eat up any surplus that remained--and
indeed Mr Harvey found the liberal distribution of meat opened their
hearts and much facilitated trade.

Two or three days after they had left the scene of the elephant-hunt
some objects were