THE ATBARA RIVER 



December llth. Although the day was mainly em- 

 ployed in attending to the leopard-skin, I also went 

 out prospecting for lions, and got pretty good news 

 3 miles below camp. I also jumped a very fair 

 koodoo, but would not shoot, as I was not sure of the 

 size. Finally, we found lion-tracks in the next 

 meshra, below the Settit junction, and returned to 

 camp. In the evening I again sat up in the machan 

 without success. My so-called shikari M. now con- 

 fided to me the death of his wife, when I was 

 duly sympathetic ; but when he added that this 

 would entail his return to Souakin, I became some- 

 what incredulous. However, the man is not worth 

 his wages and keep, and if he wants to go I am ready 

 to part with him. 



December 12th. Moved camp to the meshra where 

 we had seen the lion-tracks, and saw fresh ones again. 

 Also bagged a guinea-fowl. M. appears to be more or 

 less on strike, and gave no help at all, whereas the 

 march is a difficult one, and a mule-trunk was upset 

 and broken. He said that he had been engaged 

 solely as interpreter ! In fact, he has been a bad 

 bargain. With the help of A. R. I fixed up a pretty 

 good machan in a medium-sized fig-tree, in which I 

 spent the evening, and subsequently the whole 

 night. However, nothing was seen or heard, and 

 only hyaenas appear to have walked along the 

 meshra. 



