'A JOURNEY IN THE EAST.' 261 



high rushes, and grass. In many places this narrow impene- 

 trable belt of vegetation is hardly more than ten to twenty 

 yards broad, and right up to the herbage reaches the great 

 desert itself, with its hills and valleys, flats and undulations, 

 partly covered with very fine sand and partly with rough 

 variegated stones. 



Baron Saurma stayed behind with the dachshunds close to 

 the neck of land where the bushes began, and, following his 

 suggestion, the other guns stationed themselves at certain 

 distances from each other along the edge of the desert, while 

 I took the furthest post at a spot where a break in the bushes 

 left a narrow lane, which gave me an open shot down to the 

 shore, and thus formed the natural limit to the first beat. 



On our way through the sand we had an opportunity of 

 examining a great many tracks, which seemed to show that 

 the beasts of prey come down every night from the desert to 

 the shore to drink, and probably to surprise the sleeping 

 waterfowl. There was track upon track, footprints of Hyaenas, 

 Wolves, Jackals, and Fennecs or Desert-Foxes; we also saw 

 in the fine sand the lines drawn by the great Lizards, and the 

 broad trail of the repulsive Spectacled Snake. 



I had hardly got to my post when the dogs began to give 

 tongue, though still a long way off; but the hunt came along 

 quickly, and there was soon a loud barking close to me. 

 Suddenly I saw a grey-brown shaggy beast, with a pointed 

 head and a long thin ugly tail, going along at a quick trot 

 close to the sandy shore. A lucky shot bowled it over, and 

 before me lay an Ichneumon, that thoroughly African and 

 very ugly creature, which has no resemblance to any of our 

 European predatory animals, either in appearance or habits. 

 The dogs soon appeared following on its track, and as these 

 narrow thickets were now beaten out we decided on making 

 another drive in the adjoining cover ; but this second attempt 

 was unhappily attended with no success. 



