THE ROAN 



Various adventures came our way, some of which 

 have been elsewhere narrated. Here we killed the 

 very big buffalo that nearly got Billy.* In addition 

 we collected two more specimens of the Neuman's 

 hartebeeste, and two Chanler's reed buck. 



But Mavrouki's glowing predictions as to roan 

 were hardly borne out by facts. According to him 

 the mountains simply swarmed with them — he had 

 seen thirty-five in one day, etc. Of course we had 

 discounted this, but some old tracks had to a certain 

 extent borne out his statement. 



Lunch time one day, however, found us on top of 

 the highest ridge. Here we hunted up a bit of shade, 

 and spent two hours out of the noon sun. While we 

 lay there the sky slowly overcast, so that when we 

 aroused ourselves to go on, the dazzling light had 

 softened. As time was getting short, we decided to 

 separate. Memba Sasa and Mavrouki were to go 

 in one direction, while Cuninghame, Kongoni and 

 I took the other. Before we started I remarked 

 that I was offering two rupees for the capture of a 

 roan. 



We had not gone ten minutes when Kongoni 

 turned his head cautiously and grinned back 

 at us. 



"My rupees," said he. 



*"The Land of Footprints." 



3S7 



