6 THE GAME OF BRITISH EAST AI-KICA. 



whiff of the animal. In addition to this, the element of danger is very great. In 

 short, there is no man who works harder for his living or better deserves his profits 

 than the much-abused ivory-hunter. Many must have been the times that such an 

 one has gone hungry, weary, thirsty, and fever-stricken throughout the long day's 

 fight against noxious vegetation and natural obstacles, and many the times he must 

 have bivouacked cold and comfortless by night. Many the disappointments caused 

 by treacherous winds, ague shaking the finger on the trigger when the critical moment 

 is reached, or by other circumstances beyond his control. At last comes the supreme 

 moment for which all these hardships have been endured, the bull elephant staggers 

 and falls, and the rest of the herd rush screaming past, while he tries to shrink out of 

 their way. Then a brief rest, and the cutting-out of the tusks, the weighing of the 

 ivory, and a rapid calculation of the profits versus the expense of porters, presents to 

 chiefs, expense of stores, expense of transport back to the coast, and various other 

 items. Then once more to work again. 



Next as to the lion. No apology should be needed for shooting him in the 

 sporling way; that is, by tracking him up or hunting him unaided on foot. If one is 

 to meet with any measure of success, this requires both hard work and a considerable 

 knowledge of his habits, while disappointments are the rule and not the exception. 

 There are, however, more lordly ways of shooting him entailing little danger or 

 trouble to the sportsman. Such are, having him located and rounded up by mounted 

 Somalis, after which word is sent in, and the sportsman finishes a late breakfast and 

 starts out with a party of rifles to shoot him where he sits. Should he try to break 

 away, he is at once rounded up by horsemen ; or should he get crusty he goes for a 

 horse, and the Somali rider skilfully avoids him. 



Another way is to have him located in cover, such as a thick reed bed. The 

 sportsmen, with multitudinous gunbearers and a large battery, post themselves in 

 advantageous positions, while naked savages with spears are sent in to drive him 

 out. It must be said that it is very rarely any of the spearmen get hurt, as they 

 make such a prodigious noise that the lion always tries to get out of their way. 

 However, I find that it requires all the courage I can collect to go myself with a 

 rifle into a thick reed bed after a lion, and so it is distasteful to send others to do 

 what one shrinks from oneself, however cheerfully they may go about it. 



Neither of these last two ways of obtaining lion seem to be very sporting, as 

 nearly all the risk is incurred by the beaters and the horsemen, and very little is 

 incurred by the sportsman. Of course, if one rides down the lion oneself the case is 

 very different, although still much easier than hunting on foot. 



East Africa has become a so-called white man's country ; that is to say, that 



