132 WANDERINGS AND MEMORIES 



I had no boys out with me, and did all the work and 

 had all the fun to myself. My great triumph was 

 spooring up a Koodoo all by myself, but I did not 

 shoot him, as he was small. I could have shot an 

 Eland bull, but he again was small and I spared 

 him. I rode him to a standstill, and I think I 

 enjoyed that hunt as much as any I have ever 

 had. 



" But on our arrival here we both went nearly mad 

 with excitement, as after that abominable waterless 

 desert we suddenly turned up in a perfect heaven 

 on earth splendid water everywhere, beautiful 

 palm-trees, great papyrus swamps and a magnificent 

 game country. We got lost, and had a baddish 

 two days coming in here, and fetched up at a place 

 about twenty miles from Tsau on the marshes. 

 And there I saw more ducks than I could have 

 believed possible. Swarms of them in all directions 

 -Yellow Bills, Pink Bills, Spur-wing Geese, Knob- 

 billed Geese, Pigmy Geese, Cape Pochard, Whistling 

 Duck (Dendrocygna fulvd) and D. viduata, Hottentot 

 Teal, and White-backed Duck. Imagine my excite- 

 ment then ! Ducks everywhere and most of them 

 quite new to me. I had a great flight that night, 

 and skinned a pair of each sort. I am trying to get 

 all the ducks that are here, but some of them have 

 beat me till now. I have seen no Wigeon yet, a 

 bird I want badly. 



" We stayed here for a time and collected a lot of 

 birds, fishes, etc., and then I went on a hunt with 

 the police officer here up the Tamerlakan to the 

 Mababe flats, and got everything I wanted, but again 

 no big heads. I got two fair sable 40 inches and 

 42J inches, two roan cows, both shot in mistake for 



