The black nodded, and stooping low he began to quarter the ground and point out footprint after footprint, till the driver gave it as his opinion that they had been attacked by quite a large party of the savage beasts. "You see, gen'lemen, there's the big pads and some about half the size. I should say that there was a couple of families been scenting my bullocks. Seems to me like two lionesses and their half-grown cubs." "But the two big lions?" said Mark eagerly. "Oh, I wasn't counting them in, sir," said Buck. "We have shot them and the she's, and the young 'uns have got away, and like enough one or two of them has carried bullets with them." "But do you think they are near?" asked Dean. "Maybe yes, sir; maybe no; but I should say it would be just as well to start as soon as we have had braxfas' and get as far on as we can before night." Just then there was a hail from the waggons in Dan's familiar tones, to announce breakfast, and soon after its hasty despatch the blacks were at work skinning the lions, aided by Dunn Brown, while Buck Denham, with the assistance of Dan and Bob Bacon, had a busy time in securing some of the choicest portions of the bullock that had been shot, the doctor superintending. Later on, before they started, the Hottentot and the two blacks were allowed to cut off as many strips of the beef as they pleased, to hang on the first waggon for drying in the sun. CHAPTER EIGHTEEN. "WE ARE GOING WRONG." "No, gen'lemen," said Buck, in reply to a question; "I have had four long trips with hunting parties, and know a good deal of the country, but this is all new to me. Mak professes to know, and I daresay he is all right. He is clever enough at choosing good open country where my bullocks can get along, and he never stops at a kopje without our finding water. You see, we have got now during this last week to the edge of the biggest piece of forest that we have had to do with, and I am not going to interfere with him till he shows that he's a bit lost. Here we are keeping to the edge of the trees where I can get the waggons along and you can have plenty of sport, which gives us all enough to eat. Oh, it's all right, gen'lemen. These niggers know what they are about. I'd trust him, and I suppose it don't matter to you where we are, because we can always turn back when you are tired and your stores begin to run out." "But Dr Robertson wants to find the ancient cities that we have heard of. Where are they?" said Mark. "I d'know, sir," said the man, with a laugh. "There's Mak yonder; let's go and ask him." Instead of going to the black, Buck Denham signed to him as he looked their way, and the stalwart, fierce-looking fellow marched up to them, shouldering his spear, whose broken shaft he had replaced with a finely grown bamboo. The questioning resulted in a certain amount of pantomime on Mak's part and a confident display of smiles.