gh one night, just before sleeping time, with,--

"Would ye mind handing me out two or three of thim bundles o' feathers,
Masther Dick, dear?"

"What for, Dinny?" he asked in astonishment.

"An' is it what for?" said Dinny indignantly; "shure, an' ye wouldn't
have a boy slape on the bare flure, when ye've got hapes of feather to
make beds with inside?"

Poor Dinny was sent to the right about, and the feathers had a very
narrow escape the very next day from being burned to blackened ashes.

CHAPTER FORTY SIX.

THE BAY RUNS HIS LAST RACE.

During the long backward journey, poor Smiler the chestnut and Toothpick
the grey succumbed to the poison of the tsetse fly, gradually waning
away so, poor beasts, that Mr Rogers felt glad when on one occasion a
lion leaped upon the half-dead chestnut and dragged it down--dying in
the act though, for Dick's rifle sent a bullet crashing through the
monster's head.

There was the same feeling about poor Toothpick the grey, which lay down
to rest one night, and was found stretched out dead the next morning.

The bay, however, held out; and it was wonderful what vitality he
possessed. Poor beast! he was faithful to the end, his last act being
the saving of his master's life.

They had out-spanned one night at the edge of avast plain, meaning to
start again early the next morning; but as they rose and gazed at the
vast expanse of sun-dried grass and bushes, dotted all over with great
herds of pallah, koodoo, hartebeeste, and springbok, with zebras and
quaggas, more than they had before seen, both Mr Rogers and the boys
felt that they must have one more day's hunting amongst them; and, each
with his faithful Zulu, they set off to try and stalk one of the herds.

The horses were brought into requisition, and the miles of space
intervening was got over before, by means of his glass, Mr Rogers saw
that they were not alone in the field.

He could just discern horsemen and a waggon on the far side of the
plain, miles away, but their shapes distinctly visible with the glass in
that pure atmosphere, as they lay on a distant ridge, the waggon
standing out against the sky.

They had excellent sport, consequent upon the party on the other side
driving the game in their direction, and, lured on by the fascination of
the pursuit, Mr Rogers had gone farther and farther, till suddenly he
heard a shout from the General.

He needed no telling why the Zulu had been guilty of so unsportsm