NEMIES.

They struck off next day into a wilder portion of the country still, the
oxen trekking up close to the foot of the mountains, the intention being
to leave the plains for the present, their attractions beginning to
fail, especially as the party had no desire to keep on slaughtering the
many varieties of antelope that offered themselves as easy victims to
their rifles.

"Let's have something more exciting and manly, father," exclaimed Dick.
"Of course we must keep on shooting for the pot, just as a sheep has to
be killed now and then at home. But we don't want to turn butchers."

The General nodded approval, and said that they would now be amongst the
lions again, while on the other side of the stretch of rocky country in
which they were, he was sure that they would find elephant and buffalo.

The elephants had kept so long out of their sight that the boys began to
despair of ever coming in sight of one of the monsters; but when they
said so to the old Zulu warrior, he only laughed, and said, "Wait."

"It seems to me as if they have all been shot," said Jack.

But the General shook his head.

"Plenty of elephants," he said; "only wait."

Pieces of stone had to be used in addition to thorns to make the
cattle-kraal where they now halted, for the land was comparatively
sterile after the lush vegetation of the plains; but a little valley
supplied ample pasturage for the cattle, and abundant water, and the
rocky defiles around promised sport of a different kind to any they had
before enjoyed.

Hardly had they pulled up at the spot chosen for the temporary camp,
before Dick called his brother's attention to a couple of huge birds,
sailing round and round upon extended motionless wings over and about
the rocky crags and points far above their resting-place.

"Eagles!" cried Jack excitedly.

And as he spoke the boys saw one of the great birds swoop down behind a
peak and disappear, rising almost directly after with something dark in
its talons, and flying straight off to a shelf of rock far away.

This was new game indeed, and the boys were eager to go off after the
great birds; but they had to help settle camp-matters first, the rule
being that at every halt the first thing attempted was to put the place
in a state of defence.

When this was done there were the pets to see to--the leopard and
giraffe, both of which had grown perfectly tame, the leopard being as
playful as a kitten, and the giraffe calml