Round Lake Natron 



"Go on ! ' I shouted. " Let drive and knock 

 him down before he gets into the swamp. We 

 must have him ! ' My friend's rifle spoke, and 

 again he lurched — badly this time — and dis- 

 appeared. We sat down to give him time to 

 stiffen and lie down before we followed him up. 

 This is often necessary, as a wounded animal, 

 if not pursued violently, when badly wounded, 

 invariably lies down soon ; and what with loss 

 of blood and his nerves being unstrung, there he 

 stays, till, being quietly approached, he affords 

 a sitting shot, thereby enabling one to put him 

 out of his misery instead of a long stern chase 

 through the jungle, which usually ends in one 

 losing him. 



" Just time to smoke one cigarette before we 

 follow him up, although I don't think he can 

 have gone very far." 



The sun was now showing over the top of 

 Gelei to the south-east, and the mist hung all the 

 heavier over the tepid waters of the Soda Lake. 

 Everything was alarmed at the reports of the 

 rifles : crashes in the reeds, the screaming of fish- 

 eagles, and the beat and whirr of strings of duck 

 which were whistling round everywhere. When 

 we had given him time enough we started care- 

 fully in pursuit. Blood everywhere, spattered on 

 the broken reeds, showed us the trail. At one 

 place the reeds had been battered down, and 

 blood lay about in large gouts. "He took a bad 



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