IX OUR CAMP BY THE THIKA RIVER 105 



Eventually we arrived at the river, which we 

 crossed at a ford, intending to camp on the other 

 side. The whole safari got over by noon, so as the 

 country looked very enticing we decided to press on 

 southward until we should strike the river again 

 higher up. We knew that we could do this in a 

 couple of hours' march, as the course of the river 

 forms a great elbow here. Inside the angle in 

 which we now were the country was very beautiful, 

 with delightful belts of shady trees alternating with 

 open glades. We saw plenty of game, including 

 impala, waterbuck, kongoni, giraffe, zebra, rhino, 

 duiker, and dik-dik. We also came upon a newly- 

 born waterbuck which had been deserted by its 

 mother. The going was good inside the loop, so 

 we did not take long to reach the river again, which 

 we crossed for the second time before camping. 



The moment the tents were put up, we set off in 

 the cool of the evening to look for the much-talked- 

 of herds of buffalo. . Alas ! however, not a vestige of 

 them was to be seen. As we walked along the 

 banks of the river an occasional flop into the water 

 warned us of the presence of crocodiles, while the 

 peculiar sounds which came from far down the 

 stream told us that some hippo were disporting 

 themselves in the deep pools of the river. 



I sat alone by the camp fire that night ruefully 

 reflecting on the fact that our pleasant trip was 

 now almost over, and while I warmed myself by 



