tenderness during a three-days' severe
illness at the beginning of the journey. Thereafter Tom gained his
affection by repeated little acts of kindness, done in a quiet, offhand,
careless way, as though he had pleasure in being kind, and did not care
much whether the kindness were appreciated or not. He also excited his
admiration by the imperturbable coolness and smiling good-humour with
which he received every event in life; from the offer of an elephant
steak to the charge of a black rhinoceros. Mafuta was also fond of
Wilkins; but he worshipped Tom Brown.

On reaching the river the boat was launched on a part where there was
nothing particularly striking to merit notice, so Tom said: "D'you know,
Bob, I've taken a fancy to ramble alone for an hour along the banks of
this river; will you, like a good fellow, get into the boat with Mafuta,
and let me go along the banks on foot for a few miles. As your work
will only be dropping down stream, you won't find it hard."

"By all means, Tom; a pleasant journey to you but see that you don't
fall into the jaws of a lion or a crocodile!"

Our hero smiled as he waved his hand to his companions, and, turning
away, was soon lost to sight among the bushes.

Now the fact was that Tom Brown, so far from being the unromantic
creature that his name is erroneously supposed to imply, had such a
superabundance of romance in his composition that he had, for some time
past, longed to get away from his companions, and the noise and bustle
of the wagon train, and go off alone into the solitudes of the great
African wilderness, there to revel in the full enjoyment of the fact
that he was in reality far far away from the haunts of civilised men;
alone with primeval Nature!

The day happened to be delightful. Not too hot for walking, yet warm
enough to incline one of Tom's temperament to throw open his vest and
bare his broad bosom to any breeze that might chance to gambol through
the forest. With characteristic nonchalance he pushed his wideawake off
his forehead for the sake of coolness, and in so doing tilted it very
much on one side, which gave him a somewhat rakish air. He carried his
heavy double-barrelled gun on one of his broad shoulders with the butt
behind him, and his right hand grasping the muzzle, while in his left he
held a handkerchief, with which he occasionally wiped his heated brow.
It was evident that Tom experienced the effects of the heat much, but he
did not s