2$4 GIRAFFE HUNTING. 



upon debatable ground for Kama claims one side 

 of the river and Lobengulo the other they are kept 

 in a constant state of alarm from the frequent raiding 

 parties that pass to and fro. Of course the Bechuanas 

 are not so much to be dreaded as the Matabeles, who, 

 when once started on a predatory incursion, are 

 regular devils incarnate ; and well they need to be so, 

 for there is no returning home to their king's camp if 

 they are unsuccessful, unless always that they do not 

 object to losing their lives. Taking it all in all, this 

 drift is one of the most picturesque spots that I know 

 of, and, a few years ago, always swarmed with game ; 

 but vicinity to the great highroad leading to and 

 from the interior, with greatly increased traffic and a 

 considerable-sized mining population within easy 

 distance, has driven the wild animals to haunts less 

 likely to be disturbed. 



An hour after sunrise we got started ; our course 

 was nearly due east. Timber was abundant, in 

 some places almost dense, I might say ; so, as we had 

 to make our own road, our progress for some hours 

 was very slow. At length we got out of the wood- 

 land into a park-like country, here and there studded 

 with giant copjes, covered with parasitic plants in 

 magnificent bloom, among which were abundantly 

 interspersed various species of the ever tropical - 

 looking euphorbias. Water is undoubtedly very 

 scarce in this region through the greater part of the 

 year, but fortunately for us not so now. Here we 

 expected to find giraffes, and it was surprising that 

 we did not, for their favourite food was abundant ; 

 however, we saw spoor, and that not above a day old. 

 My disappointment was the more provoking, as the 

 most fastidious horseman could not have desired a 

 finer piece of ground to gallop over, and I wanted 

 sorely to learn what was the relative speed of horse 

 and camile was under such circumstances. 



Our outspanning at noon would have made a 



