Bushbuck 



to be outdone, I remarked, with a wink, that the 

 captain hadn't seen me, and without more ado 

 bolted for the jungle. The result was a nice 

 bushbuck, and on my return fiendish and awful 

 curses from the others, who I knew couldn't 

 continue the journey till I had boarded the boat 

 again. 



Now this took place in absolutely flat country 

 with not a vestige of a mound, leave alone a 

 hill ; and yet the place teemed with bushbuck, 

 as was conclusively proved by my seeing two 

 bucks and five does in the short two hours I was 

 out that morning. We started on flat, sun-dried 

 ground with not a vestige of grass, threading our 

 way across country in and between the thorn 

 bushes. A short way from the river-bank, where 

 the grass was thicker, we saw and let off a herd 

 of waterbuck with a small head in it. Then, 

 half a mile or so further on, I felt a violent poke 

 ip the back ; on looking round I found my 

 orderly, as stiff as a ramrod, slowly handing me 

 my rifle, staring fixedly into the grass. It might 

 have been an elephant, judging by the look on his 

 face, but then he knew I was especially anxious 

 to get a bushbuck. It was no good, however, 

 as the bushbuck was off like a flash, havine 

 spotted us long before I was ready. A short 

 distance further and it was time to return to the 

 steamer, so sweeping round towards the Nile we 

 shaped our course for home. Then we tumbled 



^73 



