112 WILD LIFE AMONGST BEASTIES The fires were down and almost extinct, for, indeed, such was the effect of famiHarity that one had almost come to regard their use as unnecessary.

All the men were asleep, and were hard to awaken ; but when Abdullah arose I observed a certain celerity in his movements, which with him was unusual, the camel-men following suit. It would appear as though we had intruded on the accustomed drinking-place of his majesty, and I gave way to desperate hopes for the morrow. * There was time to speculate on these hopes, for our wakeful neighbour was in no hurry, and indulged in the airing of his opinions until nature asserted itself and unconsciousness of everything external supervened until the break of day.

The half-light saw us astir ; the camels were put under weigh while I started to seek for the complainant of the night. Not 90 yards away we found his spoor, leading us to liope for a speedy discovery.

On approaching the spot in the evening, I had noticed a vulture or two flying low, but in insufficient number to point to anything out of the way.

Descending to a gentle-sloped Ixlior, we entered high grass and emerged into a somewhat open space. For an instant something brown moved on the opposite side, and the flash of a hope rose high.

It fell, for no lion was there, but just a roan antelope gazed momentarily at us, before covering retreat in the thick growth of grass.

Onward, still onward, parting the herbage,