A Thousand Miles in a Machilla 



guides. That evening we saw some kudu cows, 

 but no bull. A herd of eland was reported in the 



neighbourhood, and A went out to investigate 



the water-hole, two or three miles distant, at which 

 the animals were in the habit of drinking, but alas ! 

 found it dry. He spent the nth searching for 

 eland, but without success. The local guides had 

 no conception where to find them; and though fairly 

 fresh tracks were visible in the forest, the ground 

 was so hard and dry that it was impossible to follow 

 the spoor for any distance. 



In the evening A had a bit of luck. He had 



heard that sable drank at the water-holes near the 

 village, but had not believed the story, thinking that 

 there were no sable so far north ; but about 5 p.m. 

 the servants came to tell me that sable were feeding 

 on the edge of the forest about a mile off. Getting 

 on to an ant-heap just outside the camp, I was able 

 to see them quite distinctly through my glasses. I 

 sent messengers in every direction to find A — • — , 

 and he luckily met one of them just in time, got up 

 to the herd before it was too dark, and shot the 

 old bull. 



John went out with some porters and a number 

 of villagers to bring in the beast. Singing lustily, 

 they returned carrying torches, as it was pitch dark. 

 I tried to take a flashlight photograph of the scene, 

 but our lights being damp the picture unfortunately 

 failed. 



John skinned and cut up the beast by the light 

 of the camp-fire during our dinner hour. That 

 night there was much feasting and pombe drinking, 



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