234 SPORT IN THE EASTERN SUDAN 



an hour, but caught nothing save a river-tortoise 

 of some 15 lb., which gave a meal to some passing 

 Sudanis. In the evening I looked for buffalo in the 

 direction where I had killed the female. Tracks were 

 numerous, some of the night before, but the only 

 game seen were eight or ten exceedingly shy oribi. 



May $th. Passed a very wet and uncomfortable 

 night, not getting to sleep until the small hours. In 

 the morning I took the same direction as yesterday 

 evening, but turned down-stream on reaching the 

 next bend of the Dinder. I had not gone more than 

 a mile from camp when I suddenly observed the 

 head of a hippo in the Dinder within 20 yards no 

 doubt the animal whose tracks I have seen all round 

 camp. It went under, but did not seem alarmed, and 

 I changed my -350 for the 470 with solid bullets. Next 

 it came up a little down-stream, and I took up a posi- 

 tion on the high bank as soon as it went under. It 

 then came up within 20 yards, and turned its head 

 completely facing me, when I gave it a bullet half-way 

 up the face. It sank without a movement and we 

 waited for half an hour without its reappearing. 

 Presuming it to be dead, we returned to camp, and 

 after breakfast returned at 11 a.m. with camels, 

 ropes, and all available human labour. The hippo 

 was floating dead where I had shot it, and R. swam 

 out with the picketing rope and we hauled it in to 

 a convenient spot a full-grown female of 11 feet 



