A LARGE HERD OF ORYX 



I was not surprised, therefore, to see a certain quantity 

 of game feeding ; there was an enormous herd of 

 oryx, more than I had ever seen gathered together 

 before. As far as I could ascertain there were at 

 least one hundred and fifty, but it is difficult to count 

 animals who are moving about. This is a most 

 unusual sight, for, as a rule, oryx are found in little 

 herds very rarely exceeding twenty individuals in 

 each. It was a lovely scene and they appeared very 

 handsome, their sleek brown bodies, their boldly 

 marked faces and long sharp horns glistening in 

 the sunlio-ht. 



I did not molest them, as I wished to shoot a 

 gazelle, a herd of which I saw in the distance, for 

 the flesh of the latter is far preferable. This I was 

 able to do, and while it was being skinned I rode 

 on to look for a suitable camping-ground. I found 

 a cool and shady spot in the bush near the river, 

 not far from a likely-looking ford. Although I had 

 myself passed over to the southern side many times, 

 I had not yet succeeded in finding a place where 

 the camels could wade across, for they are helpless 

 in the mud, owing to the peculiar form of their 

 feet, which are especially adapted for walking on 

 the sand or hard ground of an arid country. At 

 this place the river was shallow and broad, with a 

 sandy bed, so that I hoped I might be able to get 

 them safely over in the afternoon. This ford is 

 known to the Borana as Melka Adi (white place), 

 owing to the unusually light colouring of the soil. 



While my tent was being pitched, two natives 

 were seen approaching. They were carrying enor- 

 mous spears and were clothed in a loose cotton cloth, 

 once white, but now of a neutral brown tint. They 



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