he was opposed, and
with his second barrel had sent a shot through the body, which so
sickened the young bull, that he could do no more than roar painfully,
and vomit blood, sure signs of his fast-approaching doom. Before he
could reload his gun, the buffalo staggered, fell on his knees, and
rolled over, still and dead.

Little Niani had in the meantime been skulking behind a tree, watching
with a critical eye the battle, and now as he saw it terminated he
advanced from his place of security, and gave a shout of triumph, and
made as much noise, as though he, single-handed, had laid the three
buffaloes low; but, for the good deed that he had so lately done, nobody
cared to dispute his assumption, and all laughed merrily as they saw him
dance on the body of Kalulu's bull. Not for long, however, for human
stomachs were calling for food, and spear-blade, and knife were
therefore set industriously to work to carve out the finest pieces of
beef. Simba and Moto each carved out a hind-leg of rosy, juicy beef, at
the sight of which the saliva ran out of their mouths like water, and
Niani, as he saw the rich chunks which Kalulu, with the aid of Abdullah,
extracted from his game, almost drowned himself with swallowing his
saliva.

When each was loaded down with beef, the party returned to the forest
again, straight towards the east, for its gloomiest recesses, where they
might remain in security, while they cooked and ate, should any enemies
have heard the reports of their guns.

In about an hour they reached a secure place, a similar clump of jungle
almost to that wherein they had slept so cosily the night before. A
fire was soon made with the aid of their muskets, by Simba and Moto,
while the boys, under the direction and example of Kalulu, employed
themselves in preparing slender rods, pointed, with which they pierced
small pieces of beef, to plant around the fire for a speedy broil. In
their great hurry to allay their gnawing hunger, too, they threw several
thin slices into the hottest part of the fire, which no sooner were
warmed than they were extracted again and eaten with a relish and
satisfaction which the poor stomachs alone could have properly described
had they the same power of speech as they had of digestion.

While they were thus eating, a glance at the fire showed a regular
palisade of slender sticks, on which numberless pieces of meat were
impaled, and Simba and Moto having thus satisfactorily arranged t