126 SOLDIER AND SPORTSMAN 



Coarse fish, such as the carp, and those whose 

 habitat is in slow-running water, or ponds in tropic 

 or semi-tropical countries, can readily be drawn to 

 a high-smelling bait. During the Nile Expedition 

 of 1 884- 1 885, part of what was called the Desert 

 Column — i.e. troops mounted on camels — after 

 failing to reach Khartoum in time to save General 

 Gordon, spent some months at Korti, on the Nile, 

 and both officers and men had plenty of opportunity 

 for trying their hands at catching fish. The best 

 bait was pieces of flesh, no matter how far gone in 

 corruption. Some curious creatures were captured, 

 and said to be fairly good eating, although personally 

 I never tasted a Nile fish. 



It was the custom of several of us to strip in 

 the camp, walk up the river three or four hundred 

 yards, go into the water and swim back. On one 

 occasion, just as we were about to enter the water, 

 we spotted some two hundred yards farther up 

 a huge crocodile, basking on a sandbank : so 

 instead of indulorin^ in a swim we ran back to 

 camp, got rifles, and, securing the assistance of a 

 couple of sergeants of reputed markmanship, went 

 back to where the crocodile was. After some 

 manoeuvring we got within about eighty yards of 

 him. Then, lying down, we took aim, and I believe 

 it was Lord Belleu, then known as Buldoo, of the 

 loth Hussars, who gave the "one, two, three" and 



