270 A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA chai-. 



very unwilling to take me to it, as they said one of the 

 bands of outlaws had taken up their quarters there, and 

 that it would be a grand stroke for them to capture me. 

 Twice during the time we were at Shirmerler Jowee the 

 robber spies came at night, and prospected the camp, 

 but decided we were too strong a party to be interfered 

 with. My people talked at first of taking one hundred 

 and fifty men ; however, eventually only Basha Kassa 

 and six of the best-armed men accompanied me next 

 morning to the ground. We first saw three female 

 defassa waterbuck climbing a steep hill among arid thorn 

 bush, rather spoiling the picture of dense, marshy vegeta- 

 tion, called to mind by the name "waterbuck." Next, a 

 solitary roan antelope jumped up and dashed up-hill, but 

 paused long enough for me to take aim and bring it 

 down at 200 yards. I sent off an Abyssinian to cut 

 its throat, and was both astonished and angry to see 

 him slash off the left ear with a sharp knife and 

 endeavour to get hold of the other ; but the roan, which 

 was hit too high up, and, although partly paralysed, still 

 had full use of its fore-quarters, gave a toss of its head 

 and ripped open the man's arm, at which I was not 

 altogether sorry. The poor beast, in its struggle, rolled 

 down-hill into a deep narrow gully, where, after an 

 ineffectual attempt to rope it, I had to give it a finishing 

 shot. Photographing, measuring, and weighing took a 

 long time, and when the animal was finally skinned and 

 cut up, my men begged for a few minutes' rest while 

 they made a little meal off the unwashed, raw paunch ! 

 It was late before we reached camp, which had been 

 moved some four hours up-stream to Belin. Basha 



