210 xMY SOMALI BOOK 



reader to make the acquaintance of School of the Woods 

 for the first time, lie will owe me a debt of grati- 

 tude. Anyhow, skipping is not an offence under 

 the law. And if any one objects to my quoting Dr. 

 Wallace, I recommend him to skip the next chapter 

 too ! 



I spoke of a " record of slaughter " just now : that 

 is the light in which the doings of the big game hunter 

 are regarded in certain quarters. I am not concerned 

 to defend myself or others — there is no need — there 

 are black sheep and thoughtless individuals in every 

 community, but shikaris as a class are as humane as 

 any other body of men. And the great diminution of 

 large game in various parts of the world has been due, 

 not to the men who have shot for sport, but to those 

 who have killed for profit, as well as to the introduction 

 of fire-arms among native races. This is not a matter 

 of personal opinion, but a demonstrable fact, which 

 there is no occasion to go into now. 



I have referred to the subject because of a remark 

 made in the course of reviewing a book by a writer in 

 a well-known Indian paper some time ago. Not that 

 it is deserving of a second thought, but writings of the 

 kind are liable to leave such a totally false impression 

 on the minds of the many readers who have no know- 

 ledge of the subject, that I feel bound not to leave it 

 unnoticed. The reviewer in question, after pointing 

 out with some justification how comparatively easy 

 the way of the modern shikari has been made for him 

 in many respects, writes : " When he finds his game, 

 either in carefully preserved areas in East Africa or 

 the ear-marked nullahs of the Himalayas, he brings it 



