LOST IN THE JUNGLE 



often the telescope of the theodoHte was so hot that it 

 became painful to the touch. 



On one occasion I came across the fresh spoor of 

 what must have been a gigantic bull buffalo, but so 

 thick was the bush that it was impossible to follow 

 it far, as I could only proceed on hands and knees. 

 I was therefore reluctantly compelled to retrace my 

 steps, but before I had reached more open country 

 darkness had fallen, and I realised, to my dismay, 

 that we were lost. I was only accompanied by my 

 gun-bearer, who, having been born in the highlands, 

 was useless at finding his way through the jungle. 

 Fortunately, however, I found an old game trail 

 which led us down to one of the main pools in the 

 river-bed, not far from where I was camped. Here, 

 owing to the bright moonlight, I recognised my 

 whereabouts, and reached camp safely just before ten 

 o'clock. 



On leaving Shimbirleh we started out in a south- 

 westerly direction, and on our way crossed the river 

 twice aeain where it makes a bior bend to the south. 

 We then turned south ourselves up a slight slope that 

 rose about 150 feet in the next 10 miles, when we 

 reached a plateau densely covered with trees, a very 

 good example of a tropical forest. Here I saw again 

 the same flowers and the same trees that I had seen 

 at Agodi. I unloaded and let the camels feed, but 

 later in the afternoon pushed on again in the same 

 general direction, at first through forest and then 

 through the usual grey thorn-scrub that rose above 

 our heads, completely obscuring our view of anything, 

 even within a few feet of us, but giving no protection 

 from the burning sun. We marched on steadily till 

 shortly after five o'clock, when we entered a little 



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