46 SPORT IN ABYSSINIA. 



jungle, as it was getting intensely dark, all of a sudden 

 I again fell. This time I fell about twenty feet. The 

 Galla boy was more careful, and, seeing me fall, crept 

 along on his hands and knees, feeling his way as he 

 went. I clutched hold of the creepers that grew on 

 the rocks, and picked myself up. I heard water 

 gurgling beneath, and I thought to myself it was lucky 

 I did not fall farther, for I might have fared worse 

 this time. I lost my felt hat, but the most extra- 

 ordinary result of these false steps was that my little 

 i6-bore gun, which I had with me, was not the 

 least hurt, although it received several serious blows 

 against the stones. At last I caught a glimpse of the 

 welcome light. The cattle station was in a little vale : 

 the smell of the cattle now guided me, and I soon 

 found myself alongside of the thorny hedge that 

 surrounded these camps. The women were preparing 

 the evening meal, and when they saw me without any 

 hat, and looking rather scared, began to laugh. This 

 I thought unkind, so I pushed through the thorn 

 hedge and went straight to one of the little fires. An 

 old Arab was squatting by it. I was streaming with 

 perspiration, and very thirsty. I asked him for a 

 drink, and he brought me some water in a wooden 

 bowl ; no iced champagne ever tasted so good, and 

 I swallowed it all ; then I took off my coat to dry, 

 having made up my mind that I Avas to stop here 



