hatch
being more for look than use; the smoke from the fire was thick and
blinding. The Kaffirs sat, like so many dogs, watching the meat
stewing, at the same time trying little tit-bits of about half a pound
or so, just as wetters to their appetites. They soon began a song,
which was an extempore laudation of me: there was a great repetition of
the same words, but very good time was kept, and a great deal of
exercise gone through. The arms were held something in the attitude
that a prizefighter would assume, and the body violently jerked up and
down. Every now and then one of the party would give a signal, when
they all would stop, and a man, with a very high tenor voice, shout a
few words; at the termination of these a chorus would join in amidst
yells and shrill whistles. Throughout, however, they kept a sort of
regularity, and, although barbarous in the extreme, it was music of its
kind. They did not seem to understand why I preferred to remain outside
in the cold, and repeatedly asked me to come inside the hut; so not to
appear exclusive, I took off my coat and waistcoat, and joined the
festive scene, by which I appeared to give great satisfaction. In a
quarter of an hour, however, I had had quite enough of it; I was baked
nearly to a cinder, blinded with the smoke, and poisoned with the smell.
A Kaffir, after his bath, is not the most sweetly perfumed animal in
the world; but when five-and-twenty hot men assemble in one hut, and sit
round a fire, it becomes too much to get over even with the aid of
powerful snuff. I therefore pitched my tent outside, and, concealing
myself between its folds, was soon asleep. The moon was still high when
I awoke, and, not feeling inclined to sleep again, I took my gun, and
wandered out in the cool night-air. Not a sound indicated the presence
of human beings; the country all round could be as plainly seen as
during the daylight, the night was so clear and bright. Several
mysterious sounds occasionally could be heard both far and near; the
hyaena's laugh was frequently audible, and twice I most distinctly heard
the deep growl of a lion, sounding as though he were on a range of hills
some three or four miles off: there was no mistaking his voice when once
heard. I stopped out for nearly an hour, enjoying the beauty of the
moonlight, and the wildness of the noises that alone disturbed the
night: not a breath of wind was stirring. I could see indistinctly dark
forms moving