Lake Victoria to Khartoum 



posedly on the verge of coming face to face with 

 a huge antediluvian animal at that hour in his 

 own fastnesses ! 



Immediately on my arrival, the news spread 

 through the camp that there was a rhino to be 

 eaten. My tent was besieged with eager porters, 

 not necessarily hungry, but all anxious to get 

 their bit, which being interpreted meant that once 

 they could get at the carcase they would stuff 

 themselves so full that all hope of a move on the 

 morrow would be out of the question. During 

 my bath I was considerably bothered by them, 

 whilst to shave was impossible till 1 told them 

 where the carcase was. 



I'll defy anyone to wield the old-fashioned razor 

 — none of your new-fangled garden rakes for me — 

 with safety whilst a mob of savages are making 

 facetious remarks about the operation. The 

 savage can never make out why the white man 

 wastes such a quantity of soap only to scrape it 

 off again. 



Well, I told these gentry that the carcase was 

 a long way out, and that they had better wait till 

 the morrow ; but, notwithstanding this, and their 

 customary fear of being eaten up by some noc- 

 turnal beast of prey, the camp was practically 

 deserted that night ; and on my return to the 

 spot next morning, the sight of these savages 

 baffles description. Suffragettes weren't in it 

 with them ! 



280 



