ferocious and so powerful
that even a lion fears to attack them. Saba may fare badly if he begins
a fight with such an adversary."

Hearing this Nell became alarmed and declared that she would not go to
sleep until Saba returned. Stas, seeing her grief, was angry at himself
because he had not concealed the danger from her and began to comfort
her:

"I would go after them with the rifle," he said, "but they must now be
very far away, and soon the night will fall and the tracks will be
invisible. The buffalo is badly wounded, and I have a hope that he will
fall. In any case he will weaken through loss of blood, and if he
should rush at Saba, Saba will be able to run away. Yes! he may return
during the night, but he surely will return."

Although he said this, he did not greatly believe his own words, for he
remembered what he had read of the extraordinarily revengeful nature of
the African buffalo, which, though heavily wounded, will run about in a
circuit and lie in ambush near a path over which the hunter goes and
afterwards attack him unexpectedly, pin him on its horns, and toss him
into the air. Something similar might happen to Saba; not to speak of
other dangers which threatened him on the return to the camp during the
night.

In fact night soon fell. Kali and Mea put up a zareba, built a fire,
and prepared supper. Saba did not return.

Nell became more and more worried and finally began to cry.

Stas with difficulty persuaded her to lie down, promising her that he
would wait for Saba, and as soon as the day should break, he himself
would search for the dog and bring him back. Nell indeed entered the
tent, but at intervals she put out her little head from under its
folds, asking whether the dog had not returned. Sleep overcame her only
after midnight, when Mea came out to relieve Kali, who watched the fire.

"Why does the daughter of the moon weep?" the young negro asked Stas,
when both lay down on the saddle-cloths. "Kali does not want that."

"She is sorry for Saba, whom the buffalo has surely killed."

"But perhaps he did not kill him," replied the black boy.

After this they became silent and Stas fell into a deep sleep. It was
still dark, however, when he awoke, for the chill began to incommode
him. The fire was partly extinct. Mea, who was to watch the fire, dozed
and after a time had ceased throwing fuel upon the flames.

The saddle-cloth on which Kali slept was unoccupied.

Stas himself threw b