The Bahr-el-Zeraf 



hair near the hoof ; but as that part of the animal 

 cannot be distinguished, even with the aid of 

 glasses, in the grass, the alleged difference doesn't 

 help one much. I am also led to believe that 

 in every herd there are loads of females to one or 

 perhaps two males, so that possibly at least three 

 responsible people might be accorded the necessary 

 permission to shoot a doe apiece. 



Well, we travelled up and down Lake No in 

 the blazing sunshine, seated on the roof of my 

 friend's gunboat in order to attain a great enough 

 elevation to see over the reeds, regardless of 

 sparks and smuts from the poor panting funnel, 

 with our eyes glued to our glasses ; whilst every 

 now and then the remark " By Gad ! " or some- 

 thing stronger, to wit, " Great Scott ! " would 

 give an outlet to our feelings on discovering two 

 or three red does standing up in the grass, sun- 

 dried or burnt by prairie fires, as the case 

 might be. 



Then would come the agonized question, 

 "Where can we land?" In this part of the 

 world all is swamp and muck, and it is only very 

 occasionally indeed that a " meshra " or landing- 

 place on firm, black-cotton soil can be found. 

 These " meshras " are like oases in the desert. 

 Even after landing at one of them, there are 

 certain to be at least half a dozen " khors " — wet 

 watercourses, the water in most of them waist- 

 deep — to be negotiated, before one comes within 



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