"By no means, Jack. I am not self-convicted, but quite correct, as I
can prove to the satisfaction of any one who isn't a philosopher. You
never can prove anything to a philosopher."

"Prove it, then."

"I will. Isn't a monkey a beast?"

"Certainly."

"Isn't a gorilla a monkey?"

"No doubt it is."

"And aren't _you_ a gorilla?"

"I say, lads, it's time to be going," cried Jack, with a laugh, as he
rose and resumed his load.

At that moment Mak uttered an exclamation, and pointed towards a
particular spot in the plain before us, where, close by a clump of
trees, we saw the graceful head and neck and part of the shoulders of a
giraffe. We were naturally much excited at the sight, this being the
first we had fallen in with.

"You'd better go after it," said Jack to Peterkin, "and take Mak with
you."

"I'd rather you'd go yourself," replied Peterkin; "for, to say truth,
I'm pretty well knocked up to-day. I don't know how it is--one day one
feels made of iron, as if nothing could tire one; and the next, one
feels quite weak and spiritless."

"Well, I'll go; but I shall not take any one with me.--Take observation
of the sun, Mak, and keep a straight course as you are now going until
night. D'ye see yonder ridge?"

"Yes, massa."

"Then hold on direct for that, and encamp there. I'll not be long
behind you, and hope to bring you a giraffe steak for supper."

We endeavoured to dissuade Jack from going out alone, but he said truly
that his load distributed among us all was quite sufficient, without
adding to it by taking away another member of the party. Thus we
parted; but I felt a strange feeling of depression, a kind of foreboding
of evil, which I could not shake off, despite my utmost efforts.
Peterkin, too, was unusually silent, and I could not avoid seeing that
he felt more anxiety on account of Jack's rashness than he was willing
to allow. Our friend took with him one of our large-bore rifles, and a
double-barrel of smaller bore slung at his back.

Shortly after parting with him, we descried an ostrich feeding in the
plain before us. I had long desired to meet with a specimen of this
gigantic bird in its native wilds, and Peterkin was equally anxious to
get a shot at it; so we called a halt, and prepared to stalk it. We
were aware that the ostrich is a very silly and very timid bird, but not
being aware of the best method of hunting it, we asked Makarooroo to
explain how he was in the ha