A HOT TRIP TO THE LUANGWA RIVER. 87 



to-day, because I wanted one of them, they bolted. Knowing I would see game 

 farther on, I only followed them a short way. 



Soon after I saw a herd of waterbuck and fired at the bull, hitting him hard. He 

 ran off and we spoored him right up to the Luangwa. While we were pottering 

 about in some spear grass we heard an animal plunge into the river. Running down 

 a broad hippo path, we saw him standing up to the belly in the middle of the river. 

 He seemed undecided whether to cross or come buck. His heart or strength failed 

 him and there he stood, a grand picture of animal life. How I longed for my camera, 

 which I had left behind on this trip. Not wishing to keep him in pain, I fired into the 

 middle of his back and he sank into the water, his four legs kicking above the surface. 

 Two of the men rushed in and gripped him before the current could take him away. 

 While the men were busy cutting him up I sat down under a shady tree and smoked. 

 While enjoying myself looking at the beautiful view down the river, I heard a bushbuck 

 bark about a hundred yards from me, so went after him. 



As I approached he barked again, which helped me to locate him. When I saw 

 him he was standing looking away, with his horns laid over his shoulders. The sun 

 shone on his pretty spotted skin, and I felt rather like a murderer as I put the sight 

 on him. However, waterbuck meat is tough, and bushbuck's is not, and I thought of 

 the nice steaks for dinner and the kidneys for next morning's breakfast, and the bullet 

 settled the question. 



Not having killed a puku this trip, and wanting the head of a good male, I 

 went back to camp through the dambo, where I had seen one before. He was 

 there, but with a herd of does, and I got a long shot at him. From the way he 

 dashed off I knew he was badly wounded. It took us over an hour to find him, 

 however, but at last one of the men came on him lying dead in the middle of some 

 long grass. 



Next morning I lay in bed and had a rest, as I felt feverish. On the following 

 day, November i6th, I had an idea that my luck was going to change. The villagers 

 took me to a part of the country I had not yet tried, and we soon got on the last 

 night's spoor of elephants. It led us through miles of the vile matete reeds. Coming 

 out into a more open place, I was delighted to see the herd standing at the edge 

 of some rather thick bush. To get nearer I would have needed to cross the grass 

 patch, and I thought the elephants might see me and run. In the middle of this 

 open space was the dried-up bed of a small stream, and near it the grass was a little 

 higher. Crawling to this place, I was about sixty yards from the nearest bull, 

 which was standing broadside on. 



Behind him I could see about fifteen elephants, but there were others hidden in 



