scourge in the highlands of Egypt asit is here."
"I wonder," Dick said thoughtfully, "why the tzetze was created; mostinsects are useful as scavengers, or to furnish food for birds, but Icannot see the use of a fly which is so terribly destructive as this."
"I can't tell you, my boy," Mr Harvey said. "That everything, even thetzetze has a good purpose, you may be sure, even though it is hiddenfrom us. Possibly, for example, it may be discovered some day that thetzetze is an invaluable medicine for some disease to which man issubject, just as blistering powder is obtained from the crest-body ofthe cantharides beetle. However, we must be content to take it ontrust. We must leave our descendants something to discover, you know,Dick; for if we go on inventing and discovering as we are doing, it isclear that they must look out for fresh channels for research."
CHAPTER THIRTEEN.
A BRUSH WITH THE NATIVES.
One day Jumbo touched Dick's arm, as he was riding along with thecaravan, and, pointing to a clump of trees at some little distance,said,--
"Giraffe."
Dick reined in his horse, and gazed at the trees.
"I don't see it," he said.
"They are very difficult to see," Mr Harvey remarked; "they have aknack somehow of standing so as to look like a part of the tree. Idon't see him myself, but if Jumbo says he is there, you may be sure heis."
"Is the skin valuable?" Dick asked.
"No, Dick, it would not be worth cumbering ourselves with. Nor is theflesh very good to eat--I do not say it cannot be eaten, but we haveplenty of venison. I never like shooting a giraffe when I can help it.Clumsy and awkward as they are, they have wonderfully soft andexpressive eyes, and I do not know anything more piteous than the lookof a dying giraffe; however, if you ride up to the trees and set themscampering, you will get a good laugh, for their run is as awkward andclumsy as that of any living creature."
Dick accordingly started at a gallop towards the trees; it was not untilhe was close to them that he saw three giraffes, two old ones and ayoung one. They started off, as he approached, at a pace which seemedto Dick to be slow, as well as extraordinarily clumsy. The two old oneskept themselves between their offspring and the pursuer, as if to shieldit from a shot. Dick, however, had no idea of firing; he only wished togallop up close, so as to get a nearer view of these singular beasts,but to his astonishment he found that, although his horse was going atits best speed, the apparently slow-moving giraffes were steadilygaining upon him. He could hardly at first believe his eyes. But hewas gradually tailed off, and at last, reining in his horse, he sat inthe saddle and enjoyed a good laugh at the strange trio in front of him,with their long, straggling legs and necks.
When he rejoined the caravan Mr Harvey, who had watched the pursuit,asked him laughingly if he managed to catch the giraffe.
"I might as soon have tried to catch an express train; they went rightaway from me,--and Tommy can gallop too; but he hadn't a chance withthem, although he did his best."
"They do move along at a tremendous pace in their clumsy fashion. Theytake such immense strides with those odd long legs of theirs, that onehas no idea of their speed until one chases them. I never knew a newhand who tried it, but he was sure to come back with a crestfallenface."
Three weeks after leaving what they called the elephant-camp the caravanhalted for two days. They had now arrived at the spot where theirtroubles with the natives might be expected to begin; they were at theborder of the Matabele country, and here Mr Harvey intended to turnwest, and after keeping along for some time to bend to the south andre-enter the colony north of Kimberley, and to journey down to PortElizabeth, which is the principal mart for goods from the interior.Between the Matabele and the tribes on their border hostilities had forsome time prevailed, and while they halted Mr Harvey sent forwardBlacking with a few presents to the chief of the next tribe, saying thathe was coming through his country to trade, and asking for a promisethat he should not be interfered with in his passage.
At the end of the second day the messenger returned.
"The chief says come; he says he has been a long time without trade.But before he answered he talked with his chiefs, and I don't knowwhether he means honestly. The tribe has a bad name; they are thievesand robbers."
"Well, we will go on," Mr Harvey said, "nevertheless; we have got thechief's word, and he will not after that venture to attack us openly,for if he did he knows very well that no more traders would visit hiscountry. His people may make attacks upon us, but we are strong enoughto hold our own. We muster about thirty guns, and in our laager wouldbe able to beat off his whole tribe, did they attack us; we will,however, while travelling through his country, be more careful thanhitherto. The waggons shall, when it is possible, travel two abreast,so that the line will not be so long to guard, and you must not wanderaway to shoot. Fortunately we have a store of dried meat, which willlast us for some time."
On the following morning the caravans set out, and after travellingtwelve miles halted on the bank of a stream. Soon after they had formedtheir camp five or six natives came in; they brought a few bunches ofostrich plumes and some otter skins; these they bartered for cotton, andhaving concluded their bargains wandered about in the camp, as was thecustom of the natives, peeping into the waggons, examining the bullocks,and looking at all the arrangements with childish curiosity.
"I expect these fellows have come as spies rather than traders," MrHarvey said to the lads. "As a general thing the natives come in withtheir wives and children; but, you see, these are all men. I observedtoo that they have particularly examined the pile of muskets, as ifreckoning up our means of defence. In future, instead of merely acouple of men to look after the cattle and keep off any marauders, Iwill put six every night on guard; they shall be relieved twice duringthe night, and one of the hunters shall be in charge of each watch,--ifthere are signs of trouble, we will ourselves take it by turns."
Two or three times that night the sentries perceived moving objects nearthe camp, and challenged; in each case the objects at once disappeared;whether they were hyenas or crawling men could not be discerned.
At the halt next day a much larger number of natives came in, and asatisfactory amount of trade was done. Their demeanour, however, wasinsolent and overbearing, and some of them went away with their goods,declining to accept the exchange offered. After they had left the campseveral small articles were missed.
The next day they passed across a plain abounding in game, and MrHarvey said that the boys and the three hunters might go out and killsome fresh meat; but he warned Dick and Tom not to allow their ardour inthe chase to carry them away from the hunters, but to keep as much aspossible together. When they had killed as many animals as could becarried on their horses and the hunters' shoulders, they were to returnat once.
It was the first time that Tom had been out hunting since his accident;his bones had all set well, and beyond a little stiffness and occasionalpain he was quite himself again.
"I am glad to be riding out again with you, Dick," he said; "it has beenawfully slow work jogging along by the side of the caravan."
In addition to the three hunters they took as usual a native with them,to hold the horses should it be necessary to dismount and stalk thegame, instead of chasing it and shooting it from the saddles, anexercise in which by this time the boys were efficient. They found moredifficulty in getting up to the game than they had expected, and thehunters said confidently that the animals must have been chased ordisturbed within a few hours. They had accordingly to go four or fivemiles across the plain before they could get a shot; but at last theysaw a herd feeding in a valley. After the experience they had had thatmorning of the futility of attempting to get near the deer on horseback,they determined that the hunters should make a circuit, and come downupon the herd from different points. Tom and Dick were to stay on thebrow where they were then standing, keeping well back, so as to be outof sight from the valley, until they heard the report of the first gun,whe
n they were to mount and endeavour to cut off and head the deer backupon the others. The hunters then started--Jumbo and Blacking going tothe right, Tony and the other to the left.
After an hour's walking they reached their places at points aboutequidistant from each other, forming with Tom and Dick a complete circleround the deer. They were enabled to keep each other in sight, althoughhidden from the herd in the hollow. When each had gained his stationthey lay down and began to crawl towards the deer, and until they werewithin 150 yards of the herd the latter continued grazing quietly. Thenan old buck gave a short, sharp cry, and struck the ground violentlywith his hoofs; the others all ceased feeding, and gazed with startledeyes to windward, and were about to dash off in a body when the four menfired almost simultaneously, and as many stags fell. The rest dartedoff at full speed in the