XIII CRESTED GUINEA-FOWL 241 



had a talk with the headman Gugawi and told 

 him the reason of my visit. He replied that the 

 ** imbala-intendi " were numerous in the jungle just 

 behind his kraal, and promised to do his best to 

 help me to secure the specimens I wanted, though, 

 like every one else, he said the animals were very 

 cunning and difficult to get a sight of. As soon 

 as I had had my breakfast, I asked Gugawi to give 

 me a man who was well acquainted with the habits 

 of the inyala, as I wished to go into the bush after 

 them without any loss of time. He gave me one 

 of his sons, and, accompanied by Longman and 

 one of the Kafirs who had come from Mr. 

 Wissels's store, we forthwith entered the jungle, 

 which extended to within a few yards of the kraal. 

 From this we were not distant more than two 

 hundred yards before we saw fresh inyala spoor 

 plainly imprinted in the wet ground. The rain 

 at least had done us this service, that it had washed 

 out all old spoor and rendered any fresh tracks quite 

 conspicuous. 



We now commenced to creep very cautiously 

 through the thick thorny bush, making our way for 

 the most part through tunnels made by hippo- 

 potamuses during their night excursions in search of 

 food. We had usually to walk bent nearly double, 

 often having to creep on our hands and knees ; and, 

 as the air was very hot and steamy, we were 

 soon bathed in perspiration. Now and again we 

 came to little open spaces in the bush, and in one 

 of these, which we passed through soon after leaving 

 the kraal, I saw a very handsome crested guinea- 

 fowl, the same species, no doubt (Guttera edouardi), 

 as that met with on the central Zambesi, to the 

 east of the Victoria Falls. 



We had been creeping about the bush in the 

 uncomfortable manner I have described for about 

 an hour, when we came suddenly upon a little circular 



R 



