t be
captured at once!

All this appeared so feasible that not another suggestion was offered--
the plan of the _pit-fall_ was at once, and unanimously adopted.

It remained only to dig the pit, cover it properly, and then wait the
result.

During all the time their capture was being planned, the herd of quaggas
had remained in sight, disporting themselves upon the open plain. It
was a tantalising sight to Hendrik, who would have liked much to have
shown his marksman skill by "creasing" one. But the young hunter saw
that it would be imprudent to fire at them there, as it would prevent
them from returning to the vley; so he restrained himself, and along
with the others remained watching the quaggas--all regarding them with a
degree of interest which they had never before felt in looking at a
drove of these animals.

The quaggas saw nothing of them, although quite near to the great
nwana-tree. They--the hunters--were up among the branches, where the
animals did not think of looking, and there was nothing around the
bottom of the tree to cause them alarm. The wagon-wheels had long ago
been disposed of in the bush, partly to shelter them from the sun, and
partly because game animals frequently came within shot of the tree, and
were thus obtained without any trouble. There were scarce any traces
upon the ground that would have betrayed the existence of a "camp" in
the tree; and a person might have passed very near without noticing the
odd aerial dwelling of the hunter family.

All this was design upon the part of the field-cornet. As yet he knew
little of the country around. He did not know but that it might contain
worse enemies than either hyenas or lions.

While they sat watching the manoeuvres of the quaggas, a movement was
made by one of these creatures more singular than any that had yet been
witnessed.

The animal in question was browsing quietly along, and at length
approached a small clump of bushes that stood out in the open ground.
When close to the copse it was observed to make a sudden spring forward;
and almost at the same instant, a shaggy creature leaped out of the
bushes, and ran off. This last was no other than the ugly "striped"
hyena. Instead of turning upon the quagga and showing fight, as one
might have supposed so strong and fierce a brute would have done, the
hyena uttered a howl of alarm, and ran off as fast as its legs would
carry it.

They did not carry it far. It was evidently