remembered that I had. It was that, no doubt,
that frightened me so badly, I had heard of men in their sleep being
attacked by the white ants, and bitten to death. Such memories came
crowding upon me at the moment, until I felt certain, that if I did not
soon escape from that spot, the ants would sting me to death and eat me
up!"

CHAPTER XXXII.

A HELPLESS BEAST.

"What was to be done?" continued Hans. "How was I to avoid both enemies?
If I leaped down, the wildebeest would kill me to a certainty. He was
still there, with his fierce eye bent upon me continually. If I remained
where I was, I would soon be covered with the swarming hideous insects,
and eaten up like an old rag.

[Illustration: HANS BESIEGED BY A WILDEBEEST.]

Already I felt their terrible teeth. Those that had first crawled to my
feet I had endeavoured to brush off; but some had got upon my ankles,
and were biting me through my thick woollen socks! My clothes would be
no protection.

I had mounted to the highest part of the cone, and was standing upon
its apex. It was so sharp I could scarcely balance myself, but the
painful stings of the insects caused me to dance upon it like a
mountebank.

But what signified those that had already stung my ankle, to the numbers
that were likely soon to pierce me with their venomous darts? Already
these were swarming up the last terrace. They would soon cover the apex
of the cone upon which I was standing. They would crawl up my limbs in
myriads--they would----

I could reflect no longer on what they would do. I preferred taking my
chance with the wildebeest. I would leap down. Perhaps some lucky
accident might aid me. I would battle with the gnoo, using my gun.
Perhaps I might succeed in escaping to some other hill. Perhaps----

I was actually on the spring to leap down, when a new thought came into
my mind; and I wondered I had been so silly as not to think of it
before. What was to hinder me from keeping off the termites? They had no
wings--the soldiers have none--nor the workers neither, for that matter.
They could not fly upon me. They could only crawl up the cone. With my
jacket I could brush them back. Certainly I could--why did I not think
of it before?

I was not long in taking off my jacket. I laid aside my useless gun,
dropping it upon one of the lower terraces. I caught the jacket by the
collar; and, using it as a duster, I cleared the sides of the cone in a
few moments, having sent t