A Thousand Miles in a MachiUa 



At dawn next day we were again on the road, 

 following a good path through the forest. Fine 

 clumps of bamboos were passed, though dry and 

 not in their beauty. Large ant-heaps covered with 

 vegetation were also frequently met with. 



We crossed the fresh spoor of a herd of elephant 

 that had travelled at right angles to the direction 

 we were taking, but heard afterwards that they were 

 all cows. 



After three hours' travel we halted for breakfast 

 at Chinunda's village, an altitude of two thousand 

 feet. Here the route to Mpika leaves the northern 

 road, and following roughly the course of the Rakasi 

 river, takes a north-westerly direction, and descends 

 at a moderate gradient through forest-clad hills to 

 the Luangwa valley. The village chief and a local 

 hunter came to interview us, and as they reported 

 kudu in the immediate vicinity, we decided to 

 encamp. Unfortunately the day proved hot, and 

 the boisterous wind, which as usual rose about 

 noon, made our encampment near the village 

 gardens very uncomfortable. In the afternoon 



A went to look for the kudu, and sighted a 



herd of cows but no bulls. Next morning he was 

 off again before dawn, but returned after a long 

 tramp with no better luck. 



Kudu bulls are solitary animals, and always 

 difficult to find; at the same time, judging from 

 the number of cows and young bulls seen, shootable 



bulls were unusually scarce. A attributed this 



shortage to the fact that in North- East Rhodesia 

 no limit is put to the number of kudu that may 



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