ng with him, he left the camp to visit a river, which,
according to the chief's account, lay about thirty miles to the
north-west. They expected to reach it in one day, and could have done
so, but for a large drove of elands, which was encountered upon the way,
and the pursuit of which delayed them.

They encamped that night, as they supposed, about five miles from the
river, and the next morning continued on, to reach it. A ride of
between ten and fifteen miles was made, but no river was arrived at.

Early in the afternoon, they came upon a tiny rivulet running out of a
pool, or _vley_. Supposing it to be a tributary of the river they were
in search of, they concluded that by following it down, they should
reach the main stream. This, however, they were in no haste to do,
since the country around the pool appeared to be the best sort of
hunting-ground. The fresh tracks of many varieties of animals could be
seen in the mud; and Willem proposed that they should stay over night
and lie in wait by the vley.

To this Hendrik agreed; and the horses were tethered out to graze.

A suitable place for a pit was chosen twenty paces from the pool, and,
in less than an hour, two excavations were made, in which the hunters
might conveniently conceal themselves.

Early in the evening, leaving Congo at some distance off, under the
protection of a large fire, they repaired to the pits, and there
commenced their silent vigil.

The first animals that made their appearance were antelopes of a small
species; and, as the hunters were not in want of food, no attempt was
made to hinder the little creatures from having their drink and
retiring.

Suddenly there was a commotion in the herd, which ended in a rush from
the pool. A leopard had pounced on one of them, and, as the others left
the ground, the leopard was seen shouldering its victim with the
intention to carry it off. As it turned side towards them, Willem
fired, and the large heavy bullet from the roer went crashing through
the creature's ribs.

With a loud roar it sprang upwards; then, standing on its hind feet, it
walked forward a few paces and fell. The shot had been discharged at
random through the dim light, but a better could not have been made with
the most deliberate aim, and in the light of day.

After this, the pool was visited by hyenas, jackals, and various other
creatures not worth the powder that would be required in killing them.

Some time elapsed,