260 EXTRACTS FROM 



a somewhat large mass of rock, juts out into the lake, and is 

 only connected with the shore by a narrow neck of land. 

 There we got out and sent the Arabs and the boats behind the 

 rock. It took some time before our energetic and authorita- 

 tive orders succeeded in imposing silence on our swarthy 

 companions; and we had no time to lose, for as the first 

 glimmer of daylight was visible in the east it was necessary 

 that everything should be perfectly quiet on the neck of land. 

 We therefore made short work of it, drove the Arabs into 

 their place of concealment, and left Osman behind as a 

 guard. 



We now lined the neck of land and the rock, crouching 

 down behind the bushes and the blocks of stone. At daybreak 

 the flight of the waterfowl began. First came the Herons, fol- 

 lowed by the Cormorants, Ducks, Pelicans, Gulls, Sandpipers, 

 and a few Marsh-Harriers and Ospreys. Many shots were 

 fired by the long line of guns, the large flocks of Pelicans 

 being especially greeted with a well-sustained fire; but un- 

 fortunately they were too far away, and only a couple of these 

 great birds were foolish enough to fly low, and were bagged 

 by two of the sportsmen. The stars had already vanished, 

 and the night was succeeded by a glorious African sunrise, 

 while the heat of the perfectly cloudless day already began to 

 make itself felt. When we left our posts the flight was over, 

 and every one picked up his spoil and made his way to the 

 quickly improvised landing-place by the rock, where the 

 boats were lying with the Arabs beside them and Osman 

 taking charge of them all. 



Two Pelicans and various other birds had fallen, besides a 

 poor Egyptian Vulture, which had inquisitively flown over 

 the line of guns and had lost his life. 



After resting a little while we again set off to beat the 

 bushes along the shore, which stretch both north and south of 

 the neck of land, and form a dense undergrowth of tamarisks, 



