DOWN THE RIVER 



from eighty to one hundred acres apiece, separated 

 from each other by narrow strips of tall forest trees. 

 The grass was high, and waved in the breeze like 

 planted grain; the boundary trees resembled artificial 

 windbreaks of eucalyptus or Normandy poplar. 

 One might expect a white ranch house beyond some 

 low clump of trees, and chicken runs, and corrals. 



Along these apparent boundaries of forest trees 

 our stream divided, and divided again; so that we 

 were actually looking upon what we had come to 

 seek: the source of the Swanee branch of the Tsavo 

 River. In these peaceful, protected meadows was 

 it cradled. From them it sprang full size out into 

 the African wilderness. 



A fine impalla buck grazed in one of these fields. 

 I crept as near him as I could behind one of the 

 windbreak rows of trees. It was not very near, 

 and for the second time I missed. Thereupon we 

 decided two things: that we were not really meat 

 hungry, and that yesterday's hard work was not 

 conducive to to-day's good shooting. 



Having thus accomplished the second object of 

 our expedition, we returned to camp. From that 

 time begins a regular sequence of events on which 

 I look back with the keenest of pleasure. The two 

 constant factors were the river and the great dry 

 country on either side. Day after day we followed 



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