146 SPORT IN ABYSSINIA. 



as quickly as possible. If the elephant is wounded, he 

 very often charges, and then meets the second line, 

 who receive him with a greater number of shots ; 

 they then follow him up, if badly wounded, and 

 despatch him at their leisure. The Abyssinians are, 

 as a rule, bad sportsmen, and seem to me to be totally 

 unacquainted with the commonest rules of wood-craft. 

 I would recommend all sportsmen who hunt in a \\ild 

 country to adapt their dress as much as possible to 

 the colour of the landscape in which they find them- 

 selves. I always shot in brown cord breeches and 

 flax gaiters, with a good cumberbund* round my 

 waist, and a short-tailed coat, which was made of 

 strong cotton stuff that I bought in India. 



All the servants Avith us, as well as the followers of 

 the young chief, were in a tremendous fright because 

 of the Baria, the negro tribe of which I spoke before, 

 and who came up to this part of the country to hunt 

 the elephant, and also to kill whatever Abyssinians 

 they could find. I myself never saw one of these 

 redoubtable natives, nor do I believe they would 

 attempt to attack a well-armed party ; but in the 

 evening, over the camp fire, many terrible stories 

 were told of how So-and-so was murdered, and how 



* Cumberbund is an Indian word for a thiclc scarf which is wound 

 round and round the waist ; it is a great preventive against sun- 

 stroke and chills. 



