146 WANDERINGS AND MEMORIES 



bring me any early cup of tea to my bedroom in 

 the morning, by reason of which I (being an old 

 crank much addicted to my own habits) was more 

 or less upset for the whole day; second, being 

 dragged off for a beastly walk on the Sunday, when 

 I would much rather have pottered round with 

 you and Selous; third, my envying Selous going 

 off with you in the afternoon. As I am situated 

 I don't care for England. I feel generally like 

 a hunted fox in a strange country there, and now 

 I never hanker after it the least bit. But I often 

 have thought that if ever I could afford to have a 

 shooting good enough to ask you to, how delightful 

 it would be to have just two or three special friends 

 (I have but very few real ones) to come and stay 

 for a few days, if one could persuade them to spare 

 the time. But this will not interest you; you 

 would rather hear where I have been and what I 

 have poached since I got back to my own country. 

 Well, you know I came up the Tana; and of all 

 the poisonous, sweltering holes I ever was in, that 

 is far and away the most damnable. I wrote and 

 told Selous all about it as soon as I had an oppor- 

 tunity, after I had been right up the river, as I 

 promised him I would. I hope my letter was not 

 too late to be of any use, but I couldn't send him 

 the information he wanted any earlier — you know 

 it takes a long time to do anything in Africa. It's 

 no good wearying you with particulars of all the 

 delays and worries there were before I at last 

 got back to my old haunts here. My headman 

 was a ' rotter ' (he is gone now, and good riddance), 

 and I have not such a useful lot of men as I used 

 to have formerly. But I got here at last, and have 



