222 SPORT IN THE EASTERN SUDAN 



April 27^. A lion roared in the night, but did 

 not approach the camp. Marching was out of the 

 question, owing to the mud, but I went out after 

 buffalo, and we found the track of a bull behind the 

 camp. After a mile or so we unluckily disturbed him 

 in thick stuff close to the Galegu, and he made off, 

 passing within 200 yards of my tents. We followed 

 the trail from 7 a.m. to fully 11 a.m., but I unluckily 

 fired a right and left in error at an ant-hill in high 

 grass, and we never came up with the bull, which went 

 due south along the Galegu, until we got so far from 

 camp that we had to give it up. On the way back we 

 found that three men had been attracted by the 

 shots, and were obviously making for our camp, as 

 their tracks showed. Close to camp I saw them 

 coming back, having reconnoitred it. As soon as 

 they saw me, they dived into the bush in a most 

 suspicious fashion. My servants say that they had 

 walked right past the camp, and no doubt taken 

 notes. In the afternoon R. went out with a donkey 

 and fetched in the hide and head of a buffalo bull of 

 33 inches, which we had come upon in the course of 

 our tracking. It was in very thick cover and had 

 presumably died of a wound, I should say ten days 

 or a fortnight before. The hide was still serviceable 

 for sandals. I went out along the Galegu with M. 

 and A., but saw nothing. 



