Soldiering and Sport in Uganda 



Hour upon hour we wandered on, and eventually 

 a black form rose up out of the "gubba" (thick 

 bush). Excitedly he pointed away towards some 

 small hills. No more was said, and leading the way 

 he hurried on. 



Another hour and the sun reached its zenith. 

 We had been ploughing our way through a piece of 

 flat country inundated with the recent rains. My 

 heavy marching boots were full of water, and my 

 motive power was greatly reduced. Suddenly, with 

 tropical swiftness, clouds seemed to roll up from 

 every quarter, and what had been a clean sky was 

 now chang-ed to Cimmerian black with threatenino- 

 thunder. I signalled to my orderly to stop, and I 

 slid down with my back against a tree to enjoy my 

 frugal luncheon. I had just begun to eat the sand- 

 wiches when the storm broke. Heavy drops fell 

 with resounding taps upon the leaves about my 

 head. These were the advanced guard of a perfect 

 deluge. In the space of a moment I was drenched 

 to the skin, sitting in a rapidly-forming pool of 

 water. Under the force of this combination of 

 supreme discomfort, my patience was speedily 

 oozing with the water out of the soles of my boots. 

 However, the hour before dawn is ever the darkest. 

 The rain suddenly ceased, and almost simultaneously 

 a runner came in to bring tidings of the herd. 



After another hour's march, advancing up a 

 valley, I at last made out some elephants standing 

 idly together at the top of a rise. I carefully loaded 

 both my rifles, then I lit a cigarette to ascertain the 



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