report from the gun,
merely a feeble _spirt_. I afterwards learned that one of "the boys"
had loaded it the day before with a miniature charge for small birds.
Hope increased as I pushed further up into the Kloof, and fancy began to
play. Although there was no chance of seeing "tigers," it was something
to know that such creatures were really there; that I was actually in
the native home of "wild-beasts." The floor of my host's parlour was
covered with the beautiful spotted skins of animals which had been shot
or trapped by himself. One of these measured about nine feet, which,
allowing three for the tail, gives a body of six feet long.

As the day advanced rain again began to fall, but nothing could damp me
now. I had almost worked myself into the belief that I was
tiger-hunting! I advanced with cautious tread, looked earnestly into
dark caverns, and passed under the deep shadow of thick and tangled
bushes with feelings of awe. I even indulged my wayward fancy by
thinking of Gordon Cumming and Livingstone; did my best to mistake
gnarled roots for big snakes, and red stones for couching leopards. At
last, while in the sombre twilight of a dense mass of underwood, I
actually did see a bit of brown hair moving. I threw forward my rifle
with a promptitude worthy of Hawkeye himself, but experienced no shock
of excitement, for the object was so palpably a small rabbit, or coney,
that imagination sternly refused to deceive me. Baboons had been heard
barking on the evening of our arrival. I looked out for these, but saw
none. In short, none of the inhabitants of wood, glen, or mountain,
save myself, were foolish enough to go out in such weather.
Nevertheless I returned to the house happy and ready for supper.

On Saturday morning the sunshine, which I have before mentioned,
gladdened our eyes and hearts. The weather seemed at last favourable.
Edwards at once ordered out horses and rifles, and away we went--four of
us--up the mountains after game. It was a new experience in regard to
riding. Horses, I knew, were capable of travelling over exceedingly
rough roads, and trained ones could even ascend staircases, but I now
learned that horses can climb precipices. Never saw anything like it
before; never even imagined it!

Our prospects were fair, but they were false, for, ere long, the rain
began again. However, we were reckless by that time and defied it.
Riding up the kloof that I had traversed on foot, we sig