ght one down--so did
Broadshoulders. Six-foot Johnny, in his eagerness, let the cream pony
stumble, somehow, and went over its head--also over his own, and landed
on his knees. The bok he was after stopped to gaze at the catastrophe.
Johnny, profiting by his position, took aim and tumbled it over.

Mike was by this time leading me towards an animal. We got within three
hundred yards when it began to stretch out. Further pursuit being
useless, I pulled up, leaped off, kneeled, fired, and missed again--the
ball, although straight, falling short. With wild haste I scrambled on
Rob Roy--who, by the way, stood as still as a stone when left with the
bridle thrown over his head and hanging from his nose. The horses were
trained to this.

Loading as I ran we soon came to a bok which had been turned by some of
the other hunters. Again I raced, pulled up, leaped off, and fired.
The pop! pop! was now going on all over the plain, and balls were
whistling everywhere. Again my bok refused to stop to look at me--as he
ought to have done--and again I missed. Michael's eyes were now quite
shut, and his jaws visible to the wisdom teeth--supposing he possessed
any.

Growing reckless under disappointment I now dashed away in pursuit of
animals that had been scattered by the fusillade, and fired right and
left at all ranges between two and ten hundred yards, but without any
other effect than that of driving up the dust under two or three of
them, and causing many of their astounding leaps. Soon the rest of the
party were scattered so far on the plain as to be utterly out of sight
and hearing. As far as sensation went, my "Tottie" and I were as lonely
in that wilderness as was Mungo Park in days gone by.

All this time the sun was blazing in the sky with unclouded and fervent
heat. It had been 110 degrees in the shade at Ebenezer a day or two
before, therefore I judged it to have been much the same on this
occasion. There was not a breath of wind. Everything was tremulous
with heat.

Suddenly I beheld, with the deepest interest, a magnificent lake with
beautiful islets scattered over its crystal breast. Often had I read of
the _mirage_ of African deserts, and much had I thought about it. Now,
for the first time, it was before me. Never was deception more perfect.
If I had not known that no such lake existed in the region I should
have been almost ready to stake my life on the reality of what I saw.
No wonder that thirs