to accept a few donations of meat, the supply kept up by his own
hunters being intermittent, so that his majesty had frequently to go
without.

All the same, though, the king's hunters were ingenious and clever in
their schemes, as Mr Rogers and his sons found out before many hours
had passed.

The king presented his visitors with fried fish and Kaffir beer in a
calabash, and as everything seemed very clean and satisfactory, Dick and
Jack made no scruple about eating heartily. After this they had to be
admired and have their heads patted by the queens, who declared that
they were capital boys.

At last they returned to the waggon, where, there being no necessity to
put up a fence to keep off lions, so near the town, the rest of the
evening was spent in a thorough good clean up and oiling of the guns.

The General was absent, or he would have willingly helped; but Coffee
and Chicory said that he had gone off to get birds, so it was concluded
that he would be back before long.

The oxen were all secured to the dissel-boom and trek-tow; and the
horses were haltered up to the wheels, everything being made safe and
sound. Then a fire was lit, and preparations made for passing the
night; but still the General did not come back.

His two boys, however, did not seem to be in the slightest degree
uncomfortable about his absence, saying that he would be back before
long; so, as they knew their father's ways better than he, Mr Rogers
concluded that there was no cause for anxiety, for the Zulu warrior
would return in his own good time.

Dick and Chicory kept the first watch, and then called Mr Rogers, who
relieved them, with Peter. But there was nothing to report, only that
there had been a great deal of drumming and tomtoming up in the town,
and that when the music and singing had ceased, the hippopotami on the
river's brink had commenced roaring, snorting, splashing, and making
noises that were quite startling in the silence of the night.

Fully expecting to see the Zulu warrior return every minute, Mr Rogers
replenished the fire, and sat listening to the monsters on the river's
bank, and wishing that he were lying ensconced there in some sheltered
position where he could get a shot at one of the huge beasts; but that
was a pleasure to come, and one which he hoped to give his sons.

His watch went by, and then Jack and Coffee were roused up to relieve
him, and being weary Mr Rogers was glad to find his blanket once m