Sport in East Africa. 3 1 3 



don't care for them I told the porters they might 

 have them ; so directly a bird fell he was hal-laled. 

 We also picked up a couple of their eggs : the first I 

 had ever seen. We saw the marks of deer in abund- 

 ance, but not one in person. By the evening we 

 had done perhaps twelve miles. In front of us 

 was a " tope," pretty free of undergrowth, but with 

 numerous rattan canes creeping up the trees. Half 

 a mile beyond was a pool, perhaps half a mile long, 

 nowhere over twenty yards across, and not more than 

 a couple of feet deep. In a very short time, unless 

 rain fell, it would dry up, and the game would go 

 elsewhere, so we had just hit off the right time. 

 At its further extremity there were a good many 

 trees and long grass, where I had no doubt game 

 retired to during the heat of the day. We entered 

 the first " tope," and as there was no appearance of 

 rain, I did not pitch the tent, the trestle cot answer- 

 ing all purposes of shelter from the heavy dew, as it 

 had a waterproof sunshade over it. 



The guide, or shikarie as I shall call him in future, 

 took his bow and quiver of arrows, and glided off to 

 ascertain the whereabouts of game, and did not re- 

 turn till late not till I had finished my dinner, and 

 had become somewhat impatient. Across his shoulders 

 he brought the hind-quarters of a water buck, whilst 

 in his hand he carried the head, with fine horns. The 

 moon was obscured by fleeting clouds, and it was not 

 till past 10 p.m. that he and I sallied forth. I took an 

 express *577, and gave him the "Paradox" to carry; 

 in addition he had his own arms and poisoned arrows. 

 On the further side of the pool there was a sort of 

 natural " bund ; " we crawled along under its shelter 



