A MONOTONOUS SCENE 



a broad green belt of vegetation, twisted and writhed 

 across the plain like some monstrous snake, till I lost 

 sight of it beyond Yonti. Southwards, the low red 

 sandhills near the coast gave a warm note of colour 

 to the landscape, but it was towards the west that I 

 looked longest, for there lay my way. Three 

 hundred feet below, the plain began and stretched 

 away, as far as the eye could reach, absolutely flat 

 without ridge or hollow, and without one single object 

 to break the monotony of the scene. Even the brilliant 

 sunlieht was unable to relieve the utter dreariness 

 of that great expanse of desert scrub. But it was 

 unknown, a blank on every map, and I was filled 

 with joy to think that it was to be my home for 

 weeks, perhaps months, and that day by day it 

 would reveal to me its secrets, from w'lich, as they 

 were unravelled, I hoped my map would grow. And 

 then my thoughts turned to people who live amid 

 the bush, the people I should meet, who make it 

 their home during the rains — nomads, dwellers in 

 tents, living the same life now as in the days of the 

 Old Testament, tending their flocks in endless search 

 of water and pasture, moving with the seasons, rest- 

 less and warlike. 



The following day I was able to obtain another 

 silver-backed jackal, which completed my series of 

 them from the Kismayu district. Later, close to 

 camp, I saw three gerenuk, one of which had good 

 horns. It took me, however, quite a long time to 

 get within range, as they were feeding away from me, 

 but finally, as I was crawling round a bush, the buck 

 grew suspicious and turned round, giving me rather 

 a difficult shot at about 200 yards. Greatly to my 

 delight I heard the bullet clap loudly, the poor brute 



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