208 NIGHT m A NATIVE VILLAGE. 



soon drinking like fishes. 1 never saw anything like 

 the way these men filled themselves with water. When 

 I reached the bank, my mouth was foaming. I could 

 not move my tongue, and articulation was a physical 

 impossibility. I had to scrape the slime from my 

 tongae with my hunting-knife, and I firmly believe in 

 another half hour I should have been choked. I had a 

 bottle of brandy indeed, but I feared to open it while 

 there was a chance of getting water. I sat down on 

 the bank, and the good boy Chinsoro, who was actually 

 swollen with the quantity he had swallowed, brought 

 me some. I was obliged to wash my mouth out for 

 some minutes ere I could manage to drink, and then 

 I did so with a vengeance ! A pipe and another 

 drink followed, and I was well again, Jhough suffering 

 from a splitting headache. 



As we sat on the bank the sound of drums burst 

 upon our ears. We were close to a native village 

 situated in a patch of wood on the rivers edge. 

 We were soon there, and on my informing the chief 

 that I should be obliged if he would allow me to 

 sleep under one of his large trees for the flight, he 

 kindly offered me a hut. This, however, I declined. 

 Selecting a large tree in the middle of the village, I 

 had all my kit put down, and then had another drink. 

 The sun was just setting, when one of the \dllagers 

 said to me that if I would go a little way with him he 

 would show me some waterbuck. I told Chinsoro to 

 spread my bed on the waterproof sheet and get dinner 

 ready as best he could, while I went out for half an 

 hour. Taking one rifle (Rigby 10), I started with 

 this man, and within a quarter of a mile of his village 



