CHAPTER V. 



HIPPO IN THE SHIRE RIVER. 



ON April 30th, 1904, I left Zomba with the intention of walking to Fort 

 Manning, where I hoped to be able to shoot an elephant. I only went a 

 short distance the first day, and stopped for the night with a friend who was 

 looking after a coffee estate. He told me that on the previous Sunday two lions had 

 killed a bushpig close to the house. 



The following day I spent going round the estate and watching the preparing of 

 the coffee. The next day I left and got to Gwazas, passing another coffee garden, 

 called Namitembo, on the way. I also heard here that there had been a number of 

 lions about, but it is very difficult getting a shot at them this time of year, for the 

 grass and vegetation are rank and thick. Up to now I had only been successful in 

 shooting one lion which had killed some goats, sheep, and a calf. There was no 

 danger attached to the shooting of this animal, as there may be when they are shot 

 in the open. I had gone after lions on several occasions, once when a woman had 

 been killed at a village ; but although I disturbed the man-eater twice it was 

 impossible to see him in the thick cover. 



When I reached Gwazas, B., a friend, asked me to stay with him for a few 

 days, and as I wanted to get some good impala heads, which animals were very 

 plentiful on both sides of the Shire river, I was only too pleased to do so. On 

 the following morning I was up early and walked some distance, seeing a number 

 of herds of impala. Getting one good chance at a male with a very fair head, I fired 

 and killed him. On May 6th I went out again, this time crossing the Shire in 

 an old native dug-out canoe which leaked badly. After covering a considerable 

 stretch of country, I bagged another impala ram, but the head was not very fine. 

 There are a good many thorns in this part, and a kind of grass, the seeds of 

 which have points like needles. These work their way through woollen putties 

 or stockings. The only thing that can keep them out are leather gaiters, but these 

 are too hot, and so are putties or stockings, and I always foufid it best to go about 

 barelegged. On the 7th I bagged three male impala, two of them having excellent 

 heads, and as I had shot all I w'anted I decided to leave on the 9th. On that day 



