“Be off, or I’ll be the death of you,” said Dinny, cracking the whip again; but in nowise dismayed, Rough’un kept up the attack, till Dinny literally turned, and fled to obtain his rifle; when Rough’un gave a final bark, and growled at the triumvirate, and the triumvirate were so much obliged that they growled at Rough’un, who coiled himself up in the sun on the malodorous skin and went to sleep.
Dick and Jack were busy saddling their horses while this took place, and stood laughing and enjoying the scene. They were joined directly after by their father, who with the help of Dick had been doing a little amateur farriery work, and freshly nailing a couple of loose shoes on his horse’s hoofs. Then, after providing themselves with some dried meat and biscuit, they rode off through the forest on to the plain, leaving the General, Coffee, and Chicory, to provide something for the larder.
This was to be their last day here, for Mr Rogers was anxious that they should get on, for the twofold object of seeing the great falls of the big river, and also getting amongst the elephant.
He could not help smiling with satisfaction, as he saw Dick raise one foot to the stirrup, and spring into the saddle; the boy seeming to have grown lithe and strong as the young leopard with his healthy life in the open air.
There was no need to coax his appetite now with luxuries, for his father used to banter him laughingly about its wolfishness, and compare his food-assimilating powers to those of Coffee and Chicory—boys who could literally graze upon meat by the hour together, and then grin, and show their teeth with satisfaction.
With his returning health, Dick had grown daring to a degree that was almost rash, so that Jack felt at times quite thrown into the shade.
Dick winced a little upon this occasion, for the tremendous scratching he had had from the thorns had left him rather sore; but he soon forgot all this, and away the party rode, to have a sort of naturalists’ equestrian ramble, to see if they could pick up anything fresh before they went away.
They rode right off to the plain, noting the various birds among the bushes, and snakes and lizards wherever there was a dry sandy patch amongst rocks and stones. As they reached the part where the trees were scattered in park-like patches they encountered one of the bees’-honey-guides too; but as they had an ample supply at the waggon, and all the buckets being, to Dinny’s great annoyance, still in use, the bees were left in peace.
Game seemed to be scarce upon the plain that morning; but after a time as they rode round the edge of a clump of trees, so beautiful in their disposition that they seemed to have been planted there for ornament, Mr Rogers saw, a couple of miles away upon the open plain, a herd of something different to any of the animals they had before encountered.
He took out his glass and carefully inspected them, but declared himself no wiser.