shriek of a French steam-whistle would be to a man standing on the dangerous part of a rail-road than any other earthly sound:  a horse unused to it will sometimes stand shivering instead of taking his rider out of danger.  It has happened often that the poor animal’s legs do their duty so badly that he falls and causes his rider to be trodden into a mummy; or, losing his presence of mind, the rider may allow the horse to dash under a tree and crack his cranium against a branch.  As one charge from an elephant has made embryo Nimrods bid a final adieu to the chase, incipient Gordon Cummings might try their nerves by standing on railways till the engines were within a few yards of them.  Hunting elephants on foot would be not less dangerous,* unless the Ceylon mode of killing them by one shot could be followed:  it has never been tried in Africa.

   * Since writing the above statement, it has received
   confirmation in the reported death of Mr. Wahlberg while
   hunting elephants on foot at Lake Ngami.

Advancing to some wells beyond Letloche, at a spot named Kanne, we found them carefully hedged round by the people of a Bakalahari village situated near the spot.  We had then sixty miles of country in front without water, and very distressing for the oxen, as it is generally deep soft sand.  There is one sucking-place, around which were congregated great numbers of Bushwomen with their egg-shells and reeds.  Mathuluane now contained no water, and Motlatsa only a small supply, so we sent the oxen across the country to the deep well Nkauane, and half were lost on the way.  When found at last they had been five whole days without water.  Very large numbers of elands were met with as usual, though they seldom can get a sip of drink.  Many of the plains here have large expanses of grass without trees, but you seldom see a treeless horizon.  The ostrich is generally seen quietly feeding on some spot where no one can approach him without being detected by his wary eye.  As the wagon moves along far to the windward he thinks it is intending to circumvent him, so he rushes up a mile or so from the leeward, and so near to the front oxen that one sometimes gets a shot at the silly bird.  When he begins to run all the game in sight follow his example.  I have seen this folly taken advantage of when he was feeding quietly in a valley open at both ends.  A number of men would commence running, as if to cut off his retreat from the end through which the wind came; and although he had the whole country hundreds of miles before him by going to the other end, on he madly rushed to get past the men, and so was speared.  He never swerves from the course he once adopts, but only increases his speed.