I had in my
pocket. I scarcely knew till then how tired I was. Anxious as I was to
get on, I yet could not help indulging in a short rest. "I shall be
able to move the faster after it," I thought to myself. Whilst thus
sitting and meditating, what was my dismay to see the two lions stalk
slowly up to me, while behind them appeared a vast troop of the savage
dogs I had encountered on the previous night! I felt spell-bound--
unable to fly, or even to move. The lions whisked their tails and
ground their teeth as they uttered low savage growls, while the dogs
kept barking and yelping behind them. Nearer and nearer they drew. In
vain I tried to lift my rifle and have one shot for my life. No; I
could not even do that. There I sat. In another moment their sharp
fangs would be planted in my throat. Suddenly I gave a start. The
whole panorama of savage eyes and the two central monsters disappeared,
and to my infinite relief I found that I had been asleep, and that the
whole was a phantom of my brain. I really think I must have slept some
time, for after I had recovered from the alarm into which my dream had
thrown me, I felt sufficiently strong to resume my journey. As long as
the moon shone, it was far pleasanter travelling at night than in the
day. Again I went on, but still I could not help acknowledging to
myself that I might very likely after all not be on the right road.
Still I should not gain it by hesitation, and I tried to make up my mind
to be prepared for a disappointment, should I be mistaken. I was doing
my best; I could do no more. At length I saw in the distance a line of
dark trees, which I hoped was the wood on the borders of which our hut
was situated. As I marked the outline, I stepped on with more elastic
tread, thinking of the delight my reappearance would give my poor young
companion. As I was thus walking on, I felt my foot sink into the
earth, and before I could recover myself I fell flat on my face. I
quickly sprang up, for the thought seized me that I might have stepped
into the hole of some snake, and that in another instant he might be
issuing out to attack me. I ran on for some paces, when I stopped and
looked back, but nothing appeared. Not till then did I discover that I
had sprained my ankle. It might be a slight matter under ordinary
circumstances, but, in my case, if it stopped my walking it might be
serious. It pained me considerably, still I found that I could walk.