422 A HUNTER'S WANDERINGS ch. xix 



clean round hole through his hat, then passed out at 

 his side above the hip and ran down the iron rung of 

 the waggon into the earth. The horses broke loose 

 at the flash, and were not caught until the following 

 day. There was not a man in the interior, white or 

 black, who did not grieve to hear of poor Clarkson's 

 untimely death. A better fellow never stepped. 

 Short of stature, but very strong and active, he was, 

 like most colonists, a capital shot and first-rate 

 rough-rider, qualities that could hardly fail to make 

 him a successful hunter. Morally speaking, too, he 

 was upright and .honourable in his dealings with his 

 fellow-men, cool in danger, and as plucky as a bull- 

 dog. May his spirit find a good hunting-country in 

 the next world ! 



My friends had received permission from Khama 

 to hunt on horseback in the Mababe country ; as, 

 however, owing probably to the severe drought, 

 there were few or no elephants about, they decided 

 to go with me on foot, and hunt in the fly-infested 

 country farther north. So, a few days later, we 

 trekked down to the head of the reed -bed into 

 which the Mababe river pours itself, and there 

 formed a permanent camp for the season. 



