. Southern Rhodesia. sable antelope are feeding on the slopes; they standstartled for a moment—their heads finely set on theirmassive shoulders—then turn and gallop over theridge into a valley beyond. At length the travellerdrops down to a river, a stretch of water a hundredyards wide, flowing over rocks and boulders; aboveis a waterfall, and beyond that again a deep silentpool; on either bank tropical palms and plants growin rich luxuriance. Here is the haunt of smallbeautiful coloured birds, and here may be heard theplaintive sound of dove and wood-pigeon. Thelarger pools abound in fish, the
. Southern Rhodesia. sable antelope are feeding on the slopes; they standstartled for a moment—their heads finely set on theirmassive shoulders—then turn and gallop over theridge into a valley beyond. At length the travellerdrops down to a river, a stretch of water a hundredyards wide, flowing over rocks and boulders; aboveis a waterfall, and beyond that again a deep silentpool; on either bank tropical palms and plants growin rich luxuriance. Here is the haunt of smallbeautiful coloured birds, and here may be heard theplaintive sound of dove and wood-pigeon. Thelarger pools abound in fish, the barbel and the tigerfish; and often, in some deeper water, the crocodileand the hippopotamus may be seen. The thirstymules stop in the middle of the ford to drink, andthen when they have had their fill, pull out of theriver up the steep bank on the farther side, until abit of even ground is found on which to make thenoonday halt. The animals are quickly outspanned,knee-haltered, and allowed to graze. The food is. PHYSICAL FEATURES 97 cooked and brought to the white man, the nativeservants have their feed, and then an hour of restand sleep under the cart or in the shade of a tree. The last trek is made when the sun is sinking inthe west. The air grows cool again, the sun disap-pears, and the full moon rises in the east. Thereensues another hour of travelling by the light of thesilvery moon, until a suitable spot close to water isfound. The last outspan for the day is made, thefinal meal eaten, and the white man turns in foranother night, wrapt in his blankets, by a blazingfire; his roof the sky overhead, his light the brilliantmoon, while in the distance the flames of veldtfires illuminate some far-off kopjes. He hears themunching, munching of the mules and the inter-mittent conversation of his native servants, untilunconsciousness overtakes them and complete silencereigns. Then he, too, falls asleep, to awaken for aninstant at the distant cry of a jackal or the whirr ofa n
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookids, bookpublisherlondonbell
