began barking and trying to lead his master away beyond the
ostrich-pens, Dyke understanding him well enough; but with his game in
hand, and the purpose for which it was intended in mind, for a long time
he refused to go.

At last, though, he yielded to the dog's importunity, feeling sure that
a portion of their stock must be in trouble, and that Duke had been
watching it for some time past, till he heard the reports of the gun.

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE.

DUKE'S FIND.

Dyke had not far to go--the dog running on and looking back from time to
time to see if it was followed, and then going on again. "He has found
a snake, perhaps," thought Dyke, as he looked in every direction, but
could see no sign of the bullocks. Duke went on.

"Here! I want to get back with these birds, old fellow," cried Dyke at
last. "Come along back."

But the dog stood fast, and began to bark; then plunged in amongst some
milk-bush, and barked louder than ever.

"Well, I must see what he has found," thought Dyke, and just as it was
getting dark, he ran on the hundred yards which separated him from the
dog, and found him in a state of great excitement.

"Now then, stupid, what is it?" cried Dyke. "I shan't go any farther,
mind.--Why, hullo! old chap, what have you got? Why, they're lion
cubs!"

Sure enough they were; a pair of big, chubby, whimpering cubs, that in
their heavy way resembled puppies more than creatures of the cat family.

"Here, come away," cried Dyke, after kneeling down to examine the
stupid-looking, tawny things, "We shall make the mother feel as fierce
as can be, and there'll be no mercy for us then, old chap. But how in
the world did they come to be here? Their mother must be prowling about
the place, and--Oh, I see," he cried, as the light came. "It was their
mother I shot, and the poor little creatures are starving. It would be
a mercy to kill them."

But the cubs whimpered and whined, and seemed so amiable, that Dyke felt
as if he could not be merciful in that way.

"Seems stupid," he muttered, "but I can't go murdering things without
there's a good reason for it."

Slinging his gun over his back, he took a piece of leathern thong from
his pocket and tied the legs of his birds together, noticing that, as he
did so, Duke was poking the young lions about with his nose, and the fat
little creatures, which were about a third of his size, were snuggling
up to him for comfort, whining like puppies the whil