The Journal of a Sporting Nomad 



that soon sprouted up after the burning formed 

 splendid grazing for the herds of animals that 

 frequented this place. On my way to Chimoio 

 we stopped at the forty-mile peg to allow the 

 only other train that ran in the day to pass us, 

 our train being side-tracked for that purpose. 

 Here we took on board the tender of the engine 

 a further supply of fuel, which consisted of wood 

 sawn up into short lengths, a gang of natives 

 doing the cutting, stacking, and loading the 

 engine. 



Close to the station at this place I found a 

 novel form of hyaena trap a round piece of 

 dried ox-hide, as hard as a board, three feet or 

 so in diameter, in which a very small hole, no 

 larger than a small apple, had been cut. Radi- 

 ating from this hole were cut a series of V-shaped 

 pieces. The trap was set as follows : A hole 

 was dug in the ground about one foot deep and 

 six inches in diameter. Into this hole a piece 

 of meat was placed, and the ox-hide plate was 

 laid over the place containing the meat, the two 

 holes being one over the other. The ox-hide 

 was then pegged down with wooden pegs in 

 three or more places. The hyaena, on finding 

 the bait, forced his head through the small hole 

 in the ox-hide to obtain it, the cuts in the hide 

 giving way sufficiently for that purpose. The 

 beast seized the meat, but on trying to withdraw 

 his head had to use considerable force, which 



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