CHAPTER XII 



OUR FIRST HUNTING EXPEDITION 



Train to Naivasha — views — Lake Naivasha — a contretemps — 

 porters — the start — Kongoni — Thomson's gazelle — a dead 

 man — waterbuck — ostriches — on the track of a rhino — 

 safari fare — an old character — elephant chase — head porter 

 gets into trouble — an officer's escape from an elephant. 



We had been in Nairobi nearly a year without a 

 change or a holiday, so it was with the greatest 

 pleasure of anticipation and excitement that we 

 made our arrangement for leave to go on a little 

 shooting expedition. We locked up our bungalow, 

 and our pets were sent away to stay with friends 

 kind enough to look after them ; one cat in one 

 place, and another in another, and so on. " Pups " 

 the fox terrier, the duiker, and the wee kitten 

 were to go over to the lady in the other battalion. 

 Pups found his way back, they told me, for several 

 days, hoping to find us in the deserted house. 

 The duiker proved difficult to remove ; I led, and 

 sometimes carried him over the grassy parade 

 ground with a collar and string, but he insisted on 

 dashing back home whenever he escaped my 



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