THE SETTIT KIVER 175 



Saw nothing at all but a wart-hog and a female 

 bushbuck, though the usual three koodoo had 

 obviously drunk in the evening. I then went to a 

 meshra higher up, where there were plenty of marks 

 of hartebeest. At 9 a.m. a herd came to drink, and I 

 stalked up to within 120 yards of a big animal, which 

 very composedly lay down under a tree. I then asked 

 M. the sex, giving him my field-glasses, and for ten 

 minutes he would not volunteer an opinion. Then 

 the hartebeest jumped up and cantered off after the 

 herd, keeping the tree well between us, and at once 

 M. exclaimed that it was a male. The chance was, 

 however, gone, and although I followed them up, 

 I never got on terms again. I sat over the meshra 

 till 11 a.m., and saw plenty of gazelles and a few 

 ariel, but nothing I wanted, and so back to breakfast 

 by noon. At 2 p.m. I went ofE fishing, but caught 

 nothing except a large river-tortoise. In the evening 

 I sat over the meshra above the cliff, and saw two 

 bushbuck and three koodoo drink opposite, and three 

 bushbuck and two oribi close to me ; but there was 

 not a shootable head among the lot, even if I had 

 not been preserving the ground, so February expired 

 without my having secured my koodoo. 



March 1st. Was called at 4 a.m. and went to look- 

 out hill. Three lots of doe koodoo came down to 

 drink on the left bank, two young koodoo passed 

 within 100 yards of me, and a doe showed further 



