A SHOT A DAY 63 



ground and piled in the form of a low, circular 

 fence enclosing a space about six feet in 

 diameter. This is the " scherm " or screen so 

 often used by those who hunt in the desert. 

 Within it the hunter lies prone, fully concealed 

 from any approaching quarry. 



I was in luck, for I had reached an almost 

 imperceptible rise; a long oval, the highest 

 part of which was not more than thirty inches 

 above the general level of the plain. But those 

 inches were of incalculable value for my pur- 

 pose, for they extended by miles the scope of 

 my vision in every direction and, should game 

 have been afoot, enabled me to prepare for the 

 one and only shot. A single shot each day is 

 the utmost that the hunter on foot in the desert 

 ever expects. 



In the vicinity of the rise shrubs were fairly 

 plentiful, so I plucked out a sufficient number 

 of suitable size and drew them carefully to the 

 spot I had selected for my lair. This was just 

 to westward of an unusually high shrub, a 

 " taaibosch " which, after the sun should have 

 arisen, would afford temporary shade for my 

 head. But day came on apace; no time was to 

 be lost. 



Within a few minutes my scherm was com- 

 plete, and I extended prone within it. After 



