Between Snow and Fire — page 139: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

sd say to a shoot before we leave this? We are bound to get a bushbuck ram or two in some of these kloofs.” “ Haven’t you shot away enough cartridges yet, Tom?” laughed Hoste. “ Still I think we might try for a buck if only for a change after the niggers ; besides, we can eat the buck, which is part of the change. I’m on. What do you say, Payne? Will you cut in?” “ What dol say? I say it’s the most damn idiotic idea I ever heard mooted,’ answered Payne sententiously. Still—I’ll cut in.” “All right. We'll have some sport then!” said Car- hayes. “ You'll come, too, Eustace? That’s right,” as Eustace ncdded assent. “ That'll make four of us—we don’t want any more,” he went on. “ We can just hunt down the river bank for two or three hours, and catch up the troop in camp to-night. We are bound to get some sport.” ic Likely so are the niggers,” murmured the more pru- dent Payne. The commander of the troop, when applied to, made no decided objection to the above scheme. ‘There was, as we have said, no discipline in the ordinary sense of the word, the offices of command being elective. Besides, they were under orders to return straight home, which was practically disbandment. So, while not forbidding the undertaking, he pointed out to those concerned that it might involve serious risk to themselves; in a word, was rather a crack- brained idea. “Just what I said,’’ remarked Payne laconically, light- ing his pipe. “Then why do you go, old chap?” asked one of the by- standers with a laugh. . “ That’s just what I don’t know myself,’”’ was the reply, delivered so tranquilly and deliberately as to evoke a general roar. The camp had been pitched upon high ground overlook- ing the valley of the Bashi, which ran beneath between rugged bush-clad banks. So the troop set forth on its homeward way, while our four friends, turning their horses’ heads in: the opposite direction, struck downward into the thick bush along the river bank. | Eomicbooks.com