very silent,
and in a cautious, watchful way a big old male, who seemed to be the
captain or chief of the clan, would suddenly trot out on to a big block,
and stand there carefully scanning the patch of forest and the plain
beyond for danger. Then he would change to a nearer natural
watch-tower, and have another long scrutiny, examining every spot likely
to harbour an enemy, till, apparently satisfied, he would descend, go
down to the river and drink, and then trot back to his lookout.

After a few minutes' watch, he would then give a signal, a quick, short,
barking sound, at which the rocks beyond, which the moment before had
appeared to be deserted, suddenly became alive with baboons of all
sizes, which came running down to the water in perfect confidence that
all was well, and that their old chief high up on the rock would give
them fair warning of the approach of any of their feline enemies,
leopard or lion, with a taste for the semi-human kind.

Upon one occasion Dyke suddenly started up, shouted, and fired his gun,
for the sake of seeing what effect it would have.

Instant flight he felt sure; but he was not prepared for all that
followed.

At the first sound there was a rush--a regular _sauve qui peut_; but
there was a method in it. Mothers caught up their little ones, which
fled to them for protection, and one big male made a kind of
demonstration to cover the flight, while the old fellow on the rock
sprang about, barking, shouting, and making little charges at the
interrupter, not leaving his post till all had reached their sanctuary,
when he followed to the kopje, and turned with others to stand, barking
hoarsely, and picking up and throwing stones, with every sign of angry
defiance, till their persecutor disappeared.

Nine days had passed, and then the river began to shrink rapidly.

Dyke hailed the change with eagerness, for he had been growing terribly
anxious, and more and more convinced that something must be wrong, or
Emson would have come down to the flooded ford; while at last his
thoughts had taken a definite shape, one so full of horror, that he
trembled for the task he had to perform--that of going home to put
matters to the proof.

He shivered at the idea, for now he could only place this terrible
interpretation upon his brother's silence--he must have come to meet
him, tried to swim his horse across the river, and have been swept away.

That last night was almost sleepless, for wheneve