76 



CHAPTER IV. 



In Quest of Sport — Large Herd of Buffaloes — Unsatisfactory Conduct 

 of the Makololo — A Walk in the Jungle — Large Herd of Antelopes 

 — On the Spoor of Elephants — Night Alarm caused by a Hippopo- 

 tamus — Piccaninnee's Qualifications — Our Slow progress — ^Volley at 

 a Herd of Hippopotami — Natives Alarmed by our Firing — Night at 

 the Village of Muchola — Pombe, or Native Beer — A Mark of 

 Respect — Warhke Rumours — Elephant-stalking — On the Spoor of 

 a Reed-bock — ^Intercourse with Natives — The Machingas — Variety 

 of Male Head-dress — Astonishing the Natives — The Country near 

 Lake Pamalombe. 



AT three o'clock I left the boat, and as the land 

 on the west bank was clothed with forest down 

 to the river's bank, I took the gum tickler and Rigby 

 rifle 10, and, accompanied by Moloka, went in quest 

 of sport. Indeed, as the country bore all the appear- 

 ance of elephant ground, I had some hopes of coming 

 across some of these mighty animals. I had not gone 

 far when I saw some pallah or rooye-bok (ajyyceros 

 melampus)^ but as the ground was covered with buf- 

 falo spoor, I would not fire at them, though I passed 

 three large herds feeding quietly Avithin a couple of 

 hundred yards of me. The jungle round was a com- 

 pound of forest, with here and there tracks of dense 

 underwood, and but little long grass; the forest 



