1 66 Incidents of Foreign Field Sport. 



all. Habitations are conspicuous by their absence, 

 although occasionally you pass a teh a high plat- 

 form on four uprights, on which a nigger sits fishing. 

 The population were then hostile, and several shots 

 were fired at us from the dense bush as we steamed 

 along. Shortly after, some of H.M.'s gunboats had 

 to go up this river and bombard a couple of the prin- 

 cipal towns. When about three or four hundred miles 

 from the sea, the nature of the country changes and 

 high land becomes discerned. Flat- top hills also abut 

 on the river, go some ten or fifteen miles inland, then 

 take a sweep and return again to the water, some- 

 what in shape like a horseshoe. They are all exactly 

 similar ; the sides are heavily wooded ; the table-land 

 has clumps of trees here and there, with long grass 

 prevailing. These look as if they had been artificially 

 constructed by some one whose idea of a hill had been 

 derived from German toys made for children. They 

 reminded me of the flat-topped hills on the Godavery, 

 but whilst the latter was the resort of many gaur, the 

 former were the habitat of the buffalo of this part 

 of Africa, which differs in shape entirely from its 

 brother further south, but is equally savage and 

 partakes much of the habits of wild cattle. To re- 

 sume my narrative. After steaming an hour up the 

 Niger, leaving the Binnue to our right, we entered a 

 narrow and winding creek, and went up it at a great 

 pace. We saw a few crocodiles. Some were monsters, 

 but the greater part were from twelve feet down to a 

 few inches. I could see no difference between them 

 and the Indian " mugger." We should have arrived at 

 our destination nine miles from Bida the same 

 evening, but did not, so I had to sleep in this vile 



