28 HUNTING TRIPS IN NORTHERN RHODESIA. 



animal with a fifte long mane. The bullet I fired at him passed just in front of his 

 nose, for I saw him wheel just as he entered the bush. Soon after this incident one 

 of the worst thunderstorms I have ever seen came on, and the crashes of the thunder 

 followed immediately on the blinding flashes. The rain, too, came down in great 

 quantity. We were right out in the middle of the dambo, and found great difficulty 

 in keeping a true course for camp, and in avoiding the places where the water was 

 deepest. I did not feel in a particularly happy frame of mind with the disappointments 

 of the day, and the bad storm did not improve matters. 



My men and I reached camp about sunset, after the roughest day's shooting 

 I ever had, but we had to be thankful that none of us were struck by lightning, for I 

 never saw it more dangerous. At one time the storm seemed to hang over us, and 

 every flash was blinding, and so close that the electricity gave one the sensation of 

 " pins and needles." As we stumbled along, occasionally up to our waists in mud and 

 water, with the clinging grass and reeds retarding every step, we came on several 

 animals and two herds of hartebeest. These animals were all huddled together like 

 cattle or sheep, with their sterns to the driving wind and rain. We were too busy 

 attending to our own affairs, so left them in peace, having put the rifle into its cover. 

 Going along like this we almost stepped on a fine reedbuck ram with a really 

 excellent head, but before the rifle could be removed from its cover he went off, 

 taking with him the finest reedbuck horns I have ever seen. 



Soon after this we began our march back to Zomba, which we reached in due 

 course, having bagged a few decent game heads, although we were both very 

 disappointed that we had not got a shot at buffalo. 



NATIVE A.\E, KNOBKERRV, KNIFE, AND SNUFF-BOXES. 



