THE RAHAD RIVER 205 



nothing of the trail, although Radi showed himself 

 an expert tracker, and stuck to the trail for nearly a 

 mile, finding a little blood every 100 yards or so. 

 I fired the grass in likely places as we proceeded, with 

 the idea of inducing the lions to show, the tracks 

 indicating that they still kept together. The trail was 

 over almost as bad country as could be imagined, 

 and one had to literally crawl in many places under 

 the dense nabbuk. In fact, it was, I think, as well 

 that the lions kept going, as a charge could have 

 hardly failed to get home. Towards midday E. could 

 make no more of it, and I took to the forlorn hope of 

 firing as much grass as I could. I was still engaged on 

 this when Ibrahim, whom I had sent up a tree to 

 mark, came along shouting, and said that a lioness 

 had crossed the Rahad under his very nose, the bed 

 being, of course, dry. We hurried to the spot, but 

 as I could make nothing of the trail, I decided to 

 organise a beat in the evening and try to account for 

 her. The beat was, however, unsuccessful though 

 the grass was fired and plenty of blank ammunition 

 expended. I. says that he again saw the lioness, but 

 nobody else did. After dinner I went to the machan. 

 April 6th. Left El Mekherim, after a fruitless 

 vigil in the machan, and marched about 5 miles to 

 the next maya called Rakuba. Saw numerous ariel, 

 and a few gazelle and oribi. On the maya I shot an 

 oribi, an easy chance at 30 yards. Towards evening, 



