

LION HUNTING ON THE KAPITI PLAINS 59 



one of the big beasts, and is rather more apt to get his charge 

 home, but the risk is less to life than to limb. 



There are other animals often or occasionally danger- 

 ous to human life which are, nevertheless, not dangerous 

 to the hunter. Crocodiles are far greater pests, and far 

 more often man-eaters, than lions or leopards; but their 

 shooting is not accompanied by the smallest element of 

 risk. Poisonous snakes are fruitful sources of accident, 

 but they are actuated only by fear, and the anger born of 

 fear. The hippopotamus sometimes destroys boats and 

 kills those in them; but again there is no risk in hunting 

 him. Finally, the hyena, too cowardly ever to be a source 

 of danger to the hunter, is sometimes a dreadful curse to 

 the weak and helpless. The hyena is a beast of unusual 

 strength, and of enormous power in his jaws and teeth, 

 and thrice over would he be dreaded were fang and sinew 

 driven by a heart of the leopard's cruel courage. But 

 though the creature's foul and evil ferocity has no such 

 backing as that yielded by the angry daring of the spotted 

 cat, it is yet fraught with a terror all its own; for on oc- 

 casion the hyena takes to man-eating after its own fashion. 

 Carrion-feeder though it is, in certain places it will enter 

 native huts and carry away children or even sleeping adults; 

 and where famine or disease has worked havoc among a 

 people, the hideous spotted beasts become bolder and 

 prey on the survivors. For some years past Uganda has 

 been scourged by the sleeping sickness, which has ravaged 

 it as in the Middle Ages the Black Death ravaged Europe. 

 Hundreds of thousands of natives have died. Every effort 

 has been made by the Government officials to cope with 

 the disease; and among other things sleeping-sickness 



