f to flee to the shelter of the waggon.

"Yes, I heard it, Dinny," said Jack quietly. "It was pretty loud wasn't
it?"

"Loud, Masther Jack? It was horrid, shure! And why don't ye shoot?"

"Because there's nothing to shoot at."

"Nothing to shute at? Jist hark at him! Why, there it is again."

As Dinny said, there it was again; and certainly the noise was terrible
and awe-inspiring, heard in the stillness of the night by the crackling
of the great fire, whose glow lit up waggon and trees around in a
strange way, casting grotesque shadows behind.

"Well, it's ever so far-off; and I don't know what it is. Perhaps it's
an elephant," said Jack.

"An illephant!" said Dinny, in tones of disgust; "jist as if an
illephant ever made a noise like that! Why, it's a lion, Masther Jack."

"Nonsense, Dinny! Lions don't make a noise like that."

"Shure, an' arn't we close to the river, where it's mortial damp?"

"To be sure we are; but it isn't damp here, Dinny."

"Shure, but it is!" cried Dinny. "There's a hoarse roar for ye!"

The peculiar noise came again, and was repeated from a distance, and
again in the other direction.

"That's no lion, Dinny," said Jack.

"Not a lion? Bedad, and I'd bet me head that it is, and a lion that's
hoarse wid a horrid bad cowld--jist the same as meself, and a sore
throat in the bargain, after that wet night we had the other day."

"No, that can't be a lion," said Jack again. "Hulloa! who's there?"

The _click_-_click_ of Jack's gun was heard as a dark form was seen
approaching. But the familiar voice of Mr Rogers made the boy lower
his piece.

"I thought I'd come and have a look at you, my boy," said Mr Rogers.
"Do you hear the hippopotamus?"

"Shure, no, sor; but there's a great big lion wid a terrible cowld,
roaring away for his mate; and I'd thank ye kindly if ye'd shute him at
once. There he goes, sor!"

"That's not a lion, Dinny. That's a hippopotamus," replied Mr Rogers,
smiling.

"Shure, an' if he can roar like that, he'll be worse than a lion, sor,"
said Dinny, "so hadn't ye betther shute at once?"

"Dinny doesn't want you to shoot at the hippopotamus, father," said
Jack, laughing. "He wants you to shoot at shadows!"

Mr Rogers laughed, and after staying a little while by the fire,
listening to the distant noises of the huge amphibious animals that
abounded in the great stream, he quietly went back to the waggon.

The departure of his master was the si