212 SPORT IN THE EASTERN SUDAN 



maya, which was not ready until dark. After dinner 

 I went to the machan. 



April 15th. Nothing occurred during the night, 

 but at daybreak a couple of lions roared in concert 

 some 300 yards off, but did not approach the goat. 

 I spent the morning patrolling the Rahad, according 

 to R.'s ideas, which appeared to involve doing all one's 

 stalking down-wind, and got no shot at anything in 

 consequence, seeing little but ariel. I fished in the 

 afternoon, catching three barbel of two sorts, all of 

 6 or 8 Ib. Later I went to the maya, and saw numer- 

 ous reedbuck, but none I considered worth shooting. 

 In the evening I tied up a goat without success, and 

 after dinner proceeded to the machan. 



April 16th. The night passed without incident, 

 though my men heard a lion roar twice in the neigh- 

 bourhood. I then broke camp, which was apparently 

 at the old site of the Fatalob village marked on my 

 map, destroyed by the Mahdi, with all the villages in 

 these parts. We had a warm and monotonous march 

 from 8 a.m. to fully midday, say 10 miles, and en- 

 camped in a nondescript spot on the banks of the 

 Rahad. I had shot a garganey teal on the maya 

 before starting, and killed a decidedly small ariel of 

 11| inches as meat for the men en route. There were 

 signs of elephant, but the country this side of Fatalob 

 is obviously poor sporting-ground, dense grass alter- 



