The next day at sunrise they resumed their way, and made their mid-day halt on the skirts of a dense growth of mingled aloes and underwood, which was scarcely anywhere more than five feet in height. Here they sat down by the side of a spring, which gushed forth from a limestone rock into a small natural basin, whence it spread itself in all directions, sustaining a rich emerald carpet for a few feet round, but soon disappearing in the sand. "Plenty of visitors here at night," remarked Warley, gazing curiously round him on the numerous footmarks of all shapes and sizes, with which the borders of the spring were indented. "It must be a curious sight to witness such an _omnium gatherum_. Only I suppose the more timid animals make sure that the lions and leopards are well out of the way, before they venture here themselves." "Of what creature is that the spoor?" asked Frank, pointing to a broad, deep mark, much larger than the rest. "That is the track of some beast which I do not recognise." "It is not the track of a beast," said the surgeon. "Unless I am mistaken, that is the spoor of the ostrich--is it not, Omatoko?" "Ya, ostrich--plenty 'bout here. See yonder." He pointed as he spoke to a distant part of the bush, where the heads of a troop of ostriches might be seen as they stalked easily along, browsing as they went. "Eh, ostriches! You don't mean it," exclaimed Frank, starting up in great excitement. "I never saw an ostrich. I want to see one beyond anything! Couldn't we shoot one, Charles? Are they quite out of shot?" "Much too far to make it worth while trying," said Lavie. "But we might bring one or two down by a stratagem, perhaps. If you four spread yourselves in all directions to the right yonder, and drive them this way, I could hide behind the rock there and bring one down as they went past. Couldn't that be managed, Omatoko?" "One, two, three, four drive ostrich this way. Omatoko kill one, two-- with bow and arrow. Omatoko no miss." "What, do you think your bow and arrow better than Charles's rifle?" exclaimed Nick; "well, that is coming it strong, anyhow." "I tell you what," said Warley, "this will be a famous opportunity for you to have the match out for which you were so anxious the other day. You and Charles shall both hide behind the rock there, and Frank, Nick, and myself will fetch a compass and drive the ostriches past you. Then we shall see which will take the longest and truest shot. What do you say, Charles?" "I have no objection, I am sure," said Lavie, laughing; "only I hope the trial won't go against me. It would be most ignominious to be beaten by a bow and arrows. I should never hear the last of it, I expect!" "Don't be afraid, Charles, there's no fear of that," returned Warley, reciprocating the laugh. "Well, now let us be off. If you'll take the right side, Nick, and you, Frank, the left, I'll take the middle, and we'll come upon them all together. Lion had better stay here."