Soldiering and Sport in Uganda 



orderly. I shouted to no avail. Then my gun 

 carrier did a funny thing. Taking an empty 

 cartridge case he blew down the hole in it, making a 

 very loud, shrill whistle. I do not know who taught 

 him the trick, but it was efficacious in attracting my 

 missing man. About mid-day I arriv^ed back at 

 Lumama's village very exhausted, and started on 

 my cycle for Gomba, where I hoped to find my 

 camp pitched in readiness to receive me. But alas ! 

 I came across the whole caravan resting on the 

 road at least five miles short of their destination. 

 When we did eventually arrive at Gomba, there 

 was no " banda " or camping ground. I sent for 

 the chief, who told me there had been a hut built for 

 travelling Europeans, but it had been accidently 

 burnt down the year before. 



I questioned him about the local game. He 

 told me there were elephant and buffalo. The 

 latter were exceptionally numerous, and existed in 

 three different herds. Unfortunately the grass was 

 enormously tall, and did not appear inviting for a 

 buffalo hunt, as the degree of danger in undertaking 

 the latter is in proportionate ratio to the difficulty 

 of the neighbourhood which they frequent. For 

 instance, if the grass is short and the ground open, 

 it is easy enough to keep your eye on your quarry 

 and to be prepared for a charge, but in the long 

 grass and close country they can take you unawares, 

 and while you are deceiving yourself with the 

 erroneous idea that you are giving chase to the 

 buffalo, the buffalo has circled round, and in reality 



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