EVENING STROLLS WITH A RIFLE. 9I 



knows what may be seen, and in some places it may be anything from an elephant to 

 a duiker. It is always advisable to carry a few solid-bullet cartridges, as well as the 

 expanding bullets to be used on antelopes or other thin-skinned animals. 



I can remember many interesting evenings when I got back with either a zebra, 

 roan, sable, hartebeest, warthog, bush-pig, or some small buck, such as an oribi or 

 a duiker. 



Perhaps it may be interesting to the reader if I give accounts of a few such 

 evenings' sport. 



About 3 p.m. one afternoon, being in need of meat, I went out with a boy 

 carrying the cartridge bag, Kodak, and an axe, while I carried a little "275 Mauser 

 rifle by Westley Richards. Making in the direction of a hill the natives call Manje, I 

 soon struck the fine dambo that runs near the hill. Having walked some way without 

 seeing anything, I thought I would have to return to my house without firing a shot 

 when I suddenly heard the clatter of hoofs in the sparse, scrubby bush adjoining 

 the dambo. Looking in the direction of the sound, I saw a herd of zebra going off. 

 Running after them and cutting off corners, I got to within one hundred and fifty 

 yards of where they were standing looking back. Taking a quick shot, I heard 

 the bullet tell, but the wounded animal ran off with the others. Keeping my eyes on 

 the herd, I saw a lot of dust rising behind them, and on walking up to the place 

 I found a fine stallion just dead. As it was getting late, we chopped down some 

 branches and pulled some grass, with which we covered him, besides tying a 

 handkerchief to a branch in the hope that it would keep off any prowling lion, leopard, 

 or hyaena that smelt the meat. 



On the following day I sent out men to bring in the meat, which the natives are 

 very fond of, though male zebra cannot be called the best of eating for the European's 

 taste. 



Soon after this I was out again late one evening near the same place when I saw 

 two warthogs walking through the grass, stopping every now and then to grub for 

 roots or eat something they fancied near the ground. I crawled about one hundred 

 yards so as to intercept them, and as they passed I fired at the boar and made 

 a shocking miss, and yet another as they ran off. I then continued my walk in a 

 circle, intending to come round on the chance of seeing the pigs in another part 

 of the dambo, where I knew they were in the habit of feeding. By the time I got to 

 this place the sun was nearly down, and I had some four miles to go before I could 

 get home. Climbing one of the numerous ant-hills about, I sat down and looked 

 round and was just thinking of moving off when I saw a movement on an ant-hill 

 about two hundred yards away. This ant-hill was covered with long grass which had 



