e
breeze still blew from the north--from the great Kalihari desert--
whence, no doubt, the locusts had come. The moon was bright, and her
light gleamed over the host of insects that darkly covered the plain.
The roar of the lion could be heard mingling with the shrill scream of
the jackal and the maniac laugh of the hyena. All these beasts, and
many more, were enjoying a plenteous repast.

Perceiving no change in the wind, Von Bloom became less uneasy, and they
all conversed freely about the locusts. Swartboy took a leading part in
this conversation, as he was better acquainted with the subject than any
of them. It was far from being the first flight of locusts Swartboy had
seen, and many a bushel of them had he eaten. It was natural to
suppose, therefore, that he knew a good deal about them.

He knew not whence they came. That was a point about which Swartboy had
never troubled himself. The learned Hans offered an explanation of
their origin.

"They come from the desert," said he. "The eggs from which they are
produced, are deposited in the sands or dust; where they lie until rain
falls, and causes the herbage to spring up. Then the locusts are
hatched, and in their first stage are supported upon this herbage. When
it becomes exhausted, they are compelled to go in search of food. Hence
these `migrations,' as they are called."

This explanation seemed clear enough.

"Now I have heard," said Hendrik, "of farmers kindling fires around
their crops to keep off the locusts. I can't see how fires would keep
them off--not even if a regular fence of fire were made all round a
field. These creatures have wings, and could easily fly over the
fires."

"The fires," replied Hans, "are kindled, in order that the smoke may
prevent them from alighting; but the locusts to which these accounts
usually refer are without wings, called _voetgangers_ (foot-goers).
They are, in fact, the _larvae_ of these locusts, before they have
obtained their wings. These have also their migrations, that are often
more destructive than those of the perfect insects, such as we see here.
They proceed over the ground by crawling and leaping like grasshoppers;
for, indeed, they are grasshoppers--a species of them. They keep on in
one direction, as if they were guided by instinct to follow a particular
course. Nothing can interrupt them in their onward march unless the sea
or some broad and rapid river. Small streams they can swim across