THE REDISCOVERED COUNTRY 67 



time to leap aside. So close did it pass to me that it 

 caught my rifle sling and broke it! Memba Sasa, who 

 had not seen the thing, was hit square in his tummy 

 and knocked flying, falling heavily. The beast was a 

 bushbuck doe, frantic with terror, apparently running 

 with both eyes shut ! 



At last we arrived at a village of the N'gouramani. 

 These dwell under the escarpment, keep goats, and live 

 in separate homas. They resemble the Wasonzi, but 

 are poor and few in numbers, probably the last rem- 

 nant of a tribe. We camped thankfully under a wide 

 tree completely overgrown by a thick vine so dense it 

 was like an umbrella. 



At supper time came in the hunter of the village. 

 After a long parley we agreed with him that if we got a 

 buffalo we would pay him one blanket and five rupees. 

 He was a very old and skinny man, and we soon dis- 

 covered that, outside the fact that he knew where the 

 buffalo were, he was beyond his usefulness as a hunter. 

 I could not help but be sorry for the poor old thing, 

 and speculate on his latter end; and was glad he made 

 something of us. 



Nine and a half hours ^ hard uphill march; 2o| miles; 

 elevation, 3,400; morning, 60; noon, 99; night, 65. 



July 31. — Our rather scattered dispositions are now 

 as follows: two men at waterhole living in handa 

 guarding supplies, eight men on the road to the donkey 

 homa to bring up potiOj one man sick and three donkey 



