THROUGH THE PLEISTOCENE 25 



the mountains. In my pockets I carried, of course, a knife, 

 a compass, and a water-proof matchbox. Finally, just be- 

 fore leaving home, I had been sent, for good luck, a gold- 

 mounted rabbit's foot, by Mr. John L. Sullivan, at one time 

 ring champion of the world. 



Our camp was on a bare, dry plain, covered with brown 

 and withered grass. At most hours of the day we could 

 see round about, perhaps a mile or so distant, or less, the 

 game feeding. South of the track the reserve stretched for 

 a long distance; north it went for but a mile, just enough to 

 prevent thoughtless or cruel people from shooting as they 

 went by in the train. There was very little water; what 

 we drank, by the way, was carefully boiled. The drawback 

 to the camp, and to all this plains region, lay in the ticks, 

 which swarmed, and were a scourge to man and beast. 

 Every evening the saises picked them by hundreds off 

 each horse; and some of our party were at times so bitten 

 by the noisome little creatures that they could hardly sleep 

 at night, and in one or two cases the man was actually laid 

 up for a couple of days; and two of our horses ultimately 

 got tick fever, but recovered. 



In mid-afternoon of our third day in this camp we at 

 last had matters in such shape that Kermit and I could 

 begin our hunting; and forth we rode, he with Hill, I with 

 Sir Alfred, each accompanied by his gun-bearers and sais, 

 and by a few porters to carry in the game. For two or 

 three miles our little horses shuffled steadily northward 

 across the desolate flats of short grass until the ground 

 began to rise here and there into low hills, or koppies, with 

 rock-strewn tops. It should have been the rainy season, 

 the season of "the big rains"; but the rains were late, as 



