PROSPECT OF GOOD SPORT. 19.^ 



no fear of being seen, and as the wind was favourable 

 it appeared that the only thing which could frustrate 

 success would be any noise made on the way. I 

 managed to reach the ant-hill without being suspect- 

 ed, crawling the greater part of the way on my hands 

 and knees. On peeping carefully over the side, I saw 

 eight waterbuck within fifty yards of me, feeding un- 

 suspiciously along. One fine buck led the herd, and 

 I lost not a moment in bringing the rifle to bear on 

 him. I fired, and as I did so the handsome beast 

 reared gracefully up and fell back dead, shot through 

 the heart. I could easily have killed another as they 

 went away, but as this was the only male amongst 

 them, I did not fire. The men now came up, and Mara- 

 mia's people in particular signified their satisfaction at 

 the performance. The dead waterbuck was covered 

 up with branches, to preserve it from the scorching 

 noonday sun, and left till we should return in the 

 evening. 



It was a charming morning as I trod my way through 

 these lovely jungles, accompanied by my old friend, 

 Moloka, the good boy Chinsoro, and these three tho- 

 rough savages — men who seemed as keen on sport as 

 myself; and I must say I felt an unusual amount of 

 confidence in getting good sport during the day from 

 their straightforward, open-handed manner. " If," 

 said they, "we don't show you elephants, we won't 

 take any cloth," — and I know they meant it. About 

 10 A.M. the sun became very hot — only eighty-five 

 in the shade — and I found it necessarv to make fre- 

 quent calls on my bottles of water. We entered 

 some thick forest-land, through which T had not gone 



o 



