Lake Victoria to Khartoum 



I received from various officials of the Sudan, I 

 related the story of my adventures and experi- 

 ences, and my friends cried, "What a lucky devil 

 you are ! " 



I know I am, but, good luck or ill luck, one 

 does not secure a good bag, including a couple 

 of lions, without much hard work and stiff 

 marching. 



The best turn my luck ever did me was when, 

 while guarding, or helping to guard, Boer prisoners 

 in Ceylon, I received an unexpected telegram from 

 England ordering me on a Mullah hunt. From 

 a sporting point of view this suited me " top hole"; 

 and for other reasons also ! It may sound strange, 

 but a subaltern in a British infantry regiment 

 sometimes wonders where his next "fiver" is 

 going to drop from ! If it doesn't arrive some- 

 how, the fun begins ! 



Since that day the " fairy goddess" has favoured 

 me with her smiles. Long may she continue to 

 do so ! I lift my hands in supplication ! 



I hope the shooting notes and experiences, as 

 well as the description of the different varieties 

 of big game that are to be met with in East 

 Africa, which I have endeavoured to discuss in 

 Big Ga^ne Shooting on the Equator, may have 

 proved beneficial or at least helpful to some 

 sportsman who is on the "hard-work" tack, and 

 wants to make a collection of typical heads of 

 African big game. Anyhow, I'm plunging into 



xii 



