Soldiering and Sport in Uganda 



small bent twig in doing so. This twig in its turn 

 releases another of much stronger fibre, which at 

 once lets the huge mass of wood down with a smash 

 on to the struggling hippopotamus, burying the 

 spear point into his shoulder, which I presume 

 would do for it pretty well. 



I asked the natives whether they had had any 

 luck that way, and they replied not for some tim.e. 

 They confessed to a very keen desire for hippo- 

 potamus teeth, as it enabled them to pay the 

 government hut tax. This last statement caused 

 me to smile inwardly, as some time previously, 

 when passing through the chief town in these parts, 

 I had had an interview with their king or native 

 ruler, and he had complained to me that these very 

 natives were very rebellious and absolutely refused 

 to pay the Government tax. 



With hard work I succeeded in cutting my way 

 through the thick undergrowth, and took up my 

 stand on the edge of the lake. Unfortunately my 

 view was entirely obscured by gigantic reeds 

 standing as high as ten to twelve feet out of the 

 water. So I sent a native into the water with a 

 long pole to knock down some of them, to enable 

 me to have a clear field of fire. He had scarcely 

 executed his task when a hissing sound proclaimed 

 the advent of my friends, I loaded my rifie and 

 shortly afterwards I saw a black spot appear for a 

 time and then disappear again. He came up the 

 second time fairly close in shore, and evidently 

 becoming suspicious, remained there, floating on the 



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