Lake Victoria to Khartoum 



of time before he acquires a fair knowledge of the 

 habits of the different species met with in what- 

 ever shooting country he may be. What a man 

 learns in one country is naturally of the greatest 

 use to him elsewhere. There is a story of a 

 well-known big-game shot, fresh from the African 

 wilds, who was invited to a friend's deer forest in 

 Scotland which was celebrated for its quantities 

 of beautiful heads. On the first shooting morning 

 the host was somewhat surprised at his guest's non- 

 appearance at the breakfast table, and when the 

 meal was nearly finished sent the butler up to his 

 room to remind the laggard that everybody was 

 almost ready to start. The guest was nowhere 

 to be found. Imagine their horror on emerging 

 from the dining-room to find the sportsman 

 smiling and exultant on the doorstep with two 

 splendid heads ! Of course, he had risen with 

 the lark. He had always done it in Africa, and 

 remarked that it was the best time of the day. 

 Oh, no ; he hadn't wanted gillies — hated the sight 

 of them — he was accustomed to do his own stalk- 

 ing. Naturally he supposed that his host and the 

 other guests were out early in some other direction, 

 as their lines had been thoroughly explained over- 

 night ; but he had thought it odd that no one had 

 wakened him from his slumbers. The host was 

 really angry, and did not issue another invitation 

 to that sportsman. 



- Little of moment occurred on our voyage to 



194 



