428 A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA 



rudimentary. We found the beast was still burrowing 

 on in the loose earth, while we, having to enlarge 

 the tunnel in the hard clay, were left hopelessly 

 behind. Judging by the sound how far it had got, 

 we started a cross - trench but failed to strike the 

 old burrow, and as the beast now kept quiet we were 

 nonplussed, till with a long stick forced down the 

 burrow I located the spot again, and from the cross 

 trench soon knocked in the side of the tunnel. At once 

 a cloud of dust arose, and we could see a lizard -like 

 animal writhing about and scratching desperately. Every 

 one began to shout advice, the gist of which was that I 

 should fire, for none of them had seen a Sakerar, as 

 they call an ant-bear, and, from the noise and the 

 glimpses we got, he seemed quite a formidable beast. 

 The dust made it impossible to tell what part of the 

 creature I was firing at, so that it took three solid .256 

 bullets before it rolled over, and, after crying piteously, 

 died. Having enlarged the hole, we hauled the body 

 out, and found it measured 5 ft. 7 in. from tip to tip, 

 and weighed 116 lbs.; the close, bristle-covered skin, 

 the long snout with a tuft of coarse hair at the end, 

 the thick, lizard-like tail, the powerful hind-limbs armed 

 with enormous claws, all made it the most weird - 

 looking beast I have shot so far. My bullet of last 

 night had broken a fore-leg, which had prevented the 

 animal digging beyond the extent of the old burrow, the 

 end of which it had reached. The total length of the 

 tunnel was 25 ft., the end being 5 ft. 5 in. below 

 the surface, and almost under the entrance. The rest 

 of the day was spent cleaning the skeleton and pre- 



