THE LOWER BENCHES 



Our first task was to set our boys to work clearing 

 space; the grass was so high and rank that mere 

 rampHng had little effect on it. The Baganda, 

 ibakaki, we had been compelled to leave with the 

 c-team. So our twenty-seven had become twenty- 



IX. 



Next morning Cuninghame and I started out very 

 irly with one gunbearer. The direction of the wind 

 impelled us to a two hours' walk before we could be- 

 in to hunt. The high grass was soaked with a very 

 teavy dew, and shortly we were as wet as though 

 re had fallen into the river. A number of horn- 

 ^lls and parrots followed us for some distance, but 

 )on left us in peace. We saw the Roberts' gazelle 

 Ind some hartebeeste. 



When we had gained a point of vantage, we turned 

 kck and began to work slowly along the base of 

 the mountains. We kept on a general level a hun- 

 dred feet or so up their slope, just high enough to 

 give us a point of overlook for anything that might 

 stir either in the flat plateau foothills or the plains. 

 We also kept a sharp lookout for signs. 



We had proceeded in this manner for an hour 

 when in an opening between two bushes below us, 

 and perhaps five hundred yards away we saw a 

 leopard standing like a statue, head up, a most 

 beautiful spectacle. While we watched her through 



299 



