THE GUASO NYERO 281 



uttering their musical call, while their great wings flapped 

 in measured beats. Wing shooting with the rifle, even 

 at such large birds of such slow and regular flight, is never 

 easy, and they were rather far off; but with the last car- 

 tridge in my magazine the fifth I brought one whirl- 

 ing down through the air, the bullet having pierced his 

 body. It was a most beautiful bird, black, white, and 

 chestnut, with an erect golden crest, and long, lanceolate 

 gray feathers on the throat and breast. 



There were waterbuck and impalla in this swamp. 

 I tried to get a bull of the former but failed. Several times 

 I was within fifty yards of doe impalla and cow water- 

 buck, with their young, and watched them as they fed and 

 rested, quite unconscious of my presence. Twice I saw stein- 

 buck, on catching sight of me, lie down, hoping to escape 

 observation. The red coat of the steinbuck is rather con- 

 spicuous, much more so than the coat of the duiker; yet it 

 often tries to hide from possible foes. 



Late in the afternoon of September 3, Cuninghame and 

 Heller, with the main safari, joined me, and I greeted 

 them joyfully; while my men were equally pleased to see 

 their fellows, each shaking hands with his especial friends. 

 Next morning we started toward Meru, heading north-east, 

 toward the foot-hills of Kenia. The vegetation changed 

 its character as we rose. By the stream where we had 

 camped grew the great thorn-trees with yellow-green trunks 

 which we had become accustomed to associate with the 

 presence of herds of game. Out on the dry flats were 

 other thorns, weazened little trees, or mere scrawny bushes, 

 with swellings like bulbs on the branches and twigs, and 

 the long thorns far more conspicuous than the scanty foli- 



