Shaddy rubbed his head with the barrel of the gun he was oiling, and that view of the question took a long time to decide, while the boys smiled at each other and watched him.
“Well,” said Shaddy at last, “p’raps you’re right, Master Rob. If the shots didn’t hit the lion they might have hit the ground.”
“And you did not find the animal, nor see any blood?”
“Never looked for neither, my lad. But, tell you what: if you do want his skin I’ll go with you in the morning and track him down. I expect we shall find him lying dead, for Mr Brazier’s a wonderful shot.”
“And not likely to miss,” said Rob sadly. “But I should like its skin, Shaddy.”
“And you shall have it, sir, if he’s dead. If he isn’t he has p’raps carried it miles away into the woods, and there’s no following him there.”
Rob gazed wistfully across the opening now beginning to look gloomy, and his eyes rested on the figures of the boatmen who were busily piling up great pieces of dead wood to keep up the fire for the night, the principal objects being to scare away animals, and have a supply of hot embers in the morning ready for cooking purposes. And as the fire glowed and the shadows of evening came on, the figures of the men stood out as if made of bronze, till they had done and came down to the boat.
An hour later the men were on board, the rope paid out so that they were a dozen yards from the shore, where a little grapnel had been dropped to hold the boat from drifting in, and once more Rob lay beneath the awning watching the glow of the fire as it lit up the canvas, which was light and dark in patches as it was free from burden or laden with the objects spread upon it to dry. From the forest and lake came the chorus to which he was growing accustomed; and as the lad looked out through the open end of the tent—an arrangement which seemed that night as if it did nothing but keep out the comparatively cool night air—he could see one great planet slowly rising and peering in. Then, all at once, there was dead silence. The nocturnal chorus, with all its weird shrieks and cries, ceased as if by magic, and the darkness was intense.
That is, to Rob: for the simple reason that he had dropped asleep.