PHOTOGRAPHING WATER-BIRDS 



them in a rather bigger punt, and with much labour 

 arrived at a position which I had previously selected. 

 Here we put the chair overboard, and the water not 

 being more than three or four feet deep, it stood well 

 out of it. Round this we fixed the four walls of the 

 reed hut, leaving one comer open so that I can get 

 in and out, and finally put another section of the reed 

 work over the chair to form a roof as a protection 

 from the sun, and also to conceal me from flying 

 birds. 



The plan worked beautifully, as at a few yards* 

 distance the hut harmonized with the other patches 

 of reeds and from it I obtained several most interesting 

 studies. 



Next morning I went into my reed " blind," whilst 

 my companion pushed off some little way and proceeded 

 to wait for me, as we both thought it necessary at that 

 time to have a guard. However, later on we discovered 

 that this was not essential, birds being the only living 

 things about, the hippos not patronising this particular 

 portion of the lake. Of course, I always had a revolver 

 in case of the unexpected happening, or to call help 

 in emergency, a porter being left in the punt with 

 orders to listen for a shot. 



As a result of a failure in the meat supply I had to 

 come down to the expedient of sending our boy 

 Mahomed with a couple of porters back to Naivasha 

 to buy fresh meat — six pounds for a rupee (is. 4d.) — 



71 



