<A JOURNEY IN THE EAST: 267 



The spot where the flocks had been resting must be daily 

 frequented for digestive purposes, for the whole ground was 

 thickly covered with white guano and feathers, while the 

 stinking remains of fish were lying about in great profusion. 



On my return to camp we decided to distribute ourselves 

 along the shore again for the afternoon and evening flight. I 

 chose the place where our friend Pausinger had shot his 

 pelican in the morning, and concealed myself as best I could 

 by crouching under a bush, with my retrieving Arab beside 

 me. Each of us had one of these dusky fellows with him: 

 they fetch everything that falls in the water ; but one must 

 never argue with these money-loving people, nor show great 

 delight at having shot any particular bird, otherwise they 

 begin bargaining at the water's edge, demanding more and 

 more, and calculating with cunning astuteness on one's in- 

 creasing eagerness to obtain the spoil. As soon as anything 

 falls, one must show them a coin and force them into the 

 water with a few friendly shoves before the bargaining 

 begins. 



I must have been vainly waiting for a good half-hour when 

 I saw a Pelican a long way off which was taking a direct line 

 towards my ambush, and as soon as it came near enough I 

 gave it both barrels. The shot rattled loudly on its thick 

 mail of feathers, and feebly flapping its wings it dropped 

 into the water severely wounded. For some minutes it swam 

 about slowly, but the head with its heavy bill kept sinking 

 lower and lower, until at last the waves turned the bird over, 

 and it lay on its back quite dead. 



Neither money nor threats would induce my Arab to go 

 into the water, as the Pelican was really rather far out. I 

 therefore hurried back to the camp to get other men, but on 

 my return I saw, to my great delight, that a dusky fellow 

 was already approaching it 'through the foaming waves. The 

 Grand Duke had been hidden not far from me, and on seeing 



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