118 AFRICAN GAME TRAILS 



slowed down, halted, and fell over dead. As a matter of 

 curiosity we kept the Winchester bullets both from Ker- 

 mit's giraffe and from mine. I made a point of keeping 

 as many as possible of the bullets with which the different 

 animals were slain so as to see just what was done by the 

 different types of rifles we had with us. 



When I reached camp I found that Heller had already 

 started. Next morning I rode down to see him and found 

 him hard at work with the skins; but as it would take him 

 two or three days to finish them and put them in condition 

 for transport, we decided that the safari should march 

 back to the Potha camp, and that from thence we would 

 send Percival's ox wagon to bring back to the camp all the 

 skins, Heller and his men accompanying him. The plan 

 was carried out, and the following morning we shifted the 

 big camp as proposed. 



Heller, thus left behind, came near having an unpleas- 

 ant adventure. He slept in his own tent, and his Wakamba 

 skinners slept under the fly not far off. One night they 

 let the fires die down and were roused at midnight by 

 hearing the grunting of a hungry lion apparently not a 

 dozen yards off in the darkness. Heller quickly lit his 

 lantern and sat up with his shot-gun loaded with bird shot, 

 the only weapon he had with him. The lion walked round 

 and round the tent, grunting at intervals. Then, after some 

 minutes of suspense, he drew off. While the grunting had 

 been audible, not a sound came from the tent of the Wa- 

 kambas, who all cowered under their blankets in perfect 

 silence. But once he had gone there was a great chatter- 

 ing and in a few minutes the fires were roaring, nor were 

 they again suffered to die down. 



Heller's skinners had grown to work very well when 

 under his eye. He had encountered much difficulty in get- 

 ting men who would do the work, and had tried the rep- 

 resentatives of various tribes, but without success until 

 he struck the Wakamba. These were real savages who 

 filed their teeth and delighted in raw flesh, and Heller's 



