194 SPORT IN THE EASTERN SUDAN 



afterwards missing the oribi as well. A little 

 later I bagged the same oribi, which seemed un- 

 usually tame 3| inches. We then marched 6 miles 

 to Shammam. On the road I bagged two guinea- 

 fowl and afterwards an ariel of 12 inches, so was well 

 set up for meat, of which my men had been stinted 

 since leaving the Settit. Two lots of ariel drank 

 close to my camp in the afternoon, but I would not 

 shoot. Keceived a visit from a European-speaking 

 clerk, who had recently bagged an elephant with 

 a repeating rifle of '400 calibre. The tusks 

 were only 15 Ib. apiece, but it was something of a 

 feat with such a battery. In the evening I went out 

 after reedbuck. I saw a moderate-sized buck near 

 the left bank of the Rahad, but the cover was too 

 thick for stalking. Higher up-stream there were 

 fairly fresh tracks of apparently a family of lions. 

 Crossing to the right bank I found the country more 

 open, and saw fully a dozen reedbuck. I got within 

 30 yards of a good one, but was unable to fire at once 

 owing to the trees, and he made off. Rufifrons 

 gazelle and oribi were numerous, and I also saw 

 ariel, but would not shoot. 



March27th. Spent a quiet night in bed. A. B. claims 

 to have heard a lion in the direction in which I saw 

 tracks, but I heard nothing except hyaenas. I sent off 

 two men with two camels and 3 to Hawata for two 

 camel-loads of dourra, as none is procurable in these 



