heavily, and I found that the
dew fell most just after the sun had set. This was a great aid in
telling the time that had elapsed since an animal had passed over the
ground, for we could tell whether it was after the dew, or before the
dew had fallen. The footprints of the various animals I learnt after
some time, for it was not very easy to tell the difference between a
large black bush-buck's footprint and that of a wild pig. Also it was
sometimes difficult to distinguish between a wild buffalo's footprint
and that of one of our cattle; that is, if the buffalo was a young one.
After a few months, however, I had gained much experience, and could
tell the footprints of the following animals, all of which were to be
seen near our kraal:--The hippopotamus, called _imvubu_ by the Caffres,
the buffalo, the large black bush-buck, the red bush-buck, and small
blue bush-buck, the reit-buck, duiker, leopard, hyaena, the ratal, and
many smaller animals. I acquired the habit of watching the ground as I
walked along, and noting what spoor there was on it, and could thus
discover what animals were in the neighbourhood; and I soon thought
myself very clever as a spoor-finder. But I had yet much to learn, and
soon found that, compared with my Caffre companions, I was blind and
unobservant.

The principal event that proved to me how dull I was, led to my rising
at once to a first place among the Caffres. It was during a warm day
that we had entered the bush near the ground where we watched the
cattle, and were sitting in the shade talking, when Inyoni, who was
looking anxiously at a tree near, got up and walked to the tree and
examined the trunk. He then called us and pointed to some marks on the
tree; and at length, stooping on the ground, picked up two or three
small hairs. Both the Caffre boys examined these and then said a
leopard had been here during the night and had climbed the tree. The
marks on the tree were from his claws, which he used just as does a cat
in climbing. We did not like to follow the spoor, as leopards are very
savage; but we went away from this place and sat down under the shade of
some rocks at a short distance, and the boys told me stories about the
leopard.

During that night I thought a great deal about leopards; and I
remembered, in a book that my father had given me soon after I learned
to read, that there was a picture of a trap that some one had made to
catch cats. Now, the leopard is onl