AFRICAN CAMP FIRES 



beds, and the canon, were leafy rooms as small as 

 a closet, or great cathedral aisles. And in the short 

 brush dwelt rhinoceros and impalla; in the jungles 

 were buffalo and elephant; on the plains we saw 

 giraffe, hartebeeste, zebra, duiker; and in the bases 

 of the hills we heard at evening and early morning 

 the roaring of lions. 



In this charming spot we lingered eight days; 

 Memba Sasa and I spent most of our time trying 

 to get one of the jungle-dwelling buffalo without his 

 getting us. In this we were finally successful.* 

 Then, as it was about time for Cuninghame to return, 

 we moved back to V.'s boma on the Narossara; relay- 

 ing, as usual, the carrying of our effects. At this time 

 I had had to lay off three more men on account of 

 various sorts of illness, so was still more cramped 

 for transportation facilities. As we were breaking 

 camp a lioness leaped to her feet from where she had 

 been lying under a bush. So near was it to camp 

 that I had not my rifle ready. She must have been 

 lying there within two hundred yards of our tents, 

 watching all our activities. 



We drew in to V.'s boma a little after two o'clock. 

 The man in charge of our tent did not put in an 

 appearance until next day. Fortunately V. had an 

 extra tent, which he lent us. We camped near the 



♦"The Land of Footprints." 



308 



