THE STORY OF AN OUTING 



mists shrouded the final scene, unremitting, unrelenting 

 this death dole continued, until, weakened and wearied, 

 some unguarded point was exposed to ready fangs, then, 

 every point assailed, the struggling zebra would be borne 

 to earth, buried in a mass 6f wriggling, hungry dogs, 

 and they would be well on with their repast ere the 

 excruciating pain of lingering life had passed. 



Thus was the tragedy of wild life illustrated, thus do 

 God's creatures feed one upon the other 



"Life evermore is fed by death, 



In earth and sea and sky, 

 And that the rose may breathe its breath 

 Something must die." 



Next day we trekked to Blue Post, and the two follow- 

 ing days to Fort Hall. Here thirty-six_of^our porters 

 deserted, without cause, without notice, simply disap- 

 peared. They came from a tribe in that vicinity, and 

 doubtless preferred to go home. Cuninghame was equal 

 to the occasion. He recruited six men and left thirty 

 loads in custody of one of the Indian stores. Next day, 

 March nth, we made Tinga Tinga, where our hunt 

 began and where we hoped for buffalo. 



It took three days to bring up our left-back supplies. 

 We had no success with the buffaloes here, but got im- 

 pala, water-bucks, and congoni. We feasted our safari 

 upon congoni and zebras here. Congoni, or hartebeest, 

 is good food for any one, and zebras are always very fat, 

 and the negroes adore fat. From Nairobi to this point 

 six days' trek there had been no shooting save at 

 McMillan's. It was through a densely populated dis- 

 trict along a main road, and one could not shoot a 

 rifle without danger of taking life. Our custom was to 



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