344 



IN THE GRIP OF THE NYIKA chap. 



zone is beautiful, well watered and grassed, and is 

 an ideal country either for agricultural or grazing 

 purposes. It is fairly well wooded too in places, 

 and will, I am sure, when the Protectorate is more 

 settled, become inhabited by a thriving population. 



It was through this savannah-like belt of country, 

 known as the Jombini plains, that we now made 

 our way, and at our first camping-place by the 

 Ooldooga stream I saw a good deal of game, 

 including a herd of about 200 eland, also herds 

 of oryx. Grant's gazelle, some gerenuk, and a 

 few rhino. Here also were great numbers of 

 both Grevy's and Burchell's zebra, the two races 

 meeting on this plain, but herding and feeding 

 quite separately. 



I noticed one oryx in particular which I should 

 have been glad to bag, as it had horns about half 

 as long again as any in the herd, and they must 

 have been many inches more than the best previous 

 records for East Africa. I was, however, not well 

 enough to undertake an arduous stalk. 



There were thousands of guinea-fowl about, so 

 that there was no lack of sport of all kinds. It is 

 altogether an ideal hunting country, which I have 

 recommended should be thrown open to both 

 sportsmen and explorers. 



From the Ooldooga we pushed on to a stream 

 called Leilabah, where again game abounded ; 



