Mr. Churchill's Journey 



off by this time, if not altogether lost. This 

 proved to be the case, and, search how we would, 

 we could neither pick up his spoor nor disturb 

 him in a three-mile radius. It was sickening 

 luck, but couldn't be helped, so we retraced our 

 steps to Mr. Churchill's dead rhinos, which we 

 cut up and conveyed back to the launch. One 

 was a very nice head indeed, but the others, 

 though good typical specimens, were nothing out 

 of the way. 



On our return to camp we found that none of 

 the remainder of the party had come across any- 

 thing very exciting, so we decided to steam down 

 the river after dinner and land in two parties 

 to try our luck next day in pastures new. Mr. 

 Churchill, Mr. Marsh, Bennett, and I started 

 together ; but, though we tramped for miles and 

 miles, saw nothing but old elephant tracks and 

 one solitary hartebeest. 



The other party returned in the evening well 

 provided with food, having spent the day in 

 a veritable game preserve, amidst herds of harte- 

 beest, waterbuck, and cob. It is very strange 

 how, sometimes, you find game congregated to- 

 gether, when, two or three miles away, nothing 

 is to be seen. Our companions brought along 

 the local chief, a nice fellow called Billali, as 

 naked as the day on which he was born. His 

 savage mind was much perplexed with different 

 gifts in the shape of a kimono, a table knife, 



93 



