128 Wild Life in Central Africa. 



steady rain it has" risen tremendously and is now in spate, 

 in places about 3Ooft. across, and a small bridge I made was 

 carried away. When the rain stops this small river goes 

 down almost as quickly as it rises. 



In 1905 I spent a year at a place marked on the map as 

 Mzazas, which was right in the centre of some of the best 

 game country left in Africa. It was right opposite one of 

 the two game reserves existing in North-Eastern Rhodesia. 

 This reserve was made to preserve one or two herds of 

 giraffe which inhabited that country. The Administrator 

 of North-Eastern Rhodesia at that time was the late 

 Mr. Robert Codrington, and he most kindly gave me 

 permission to shoot in the reserve on condition that I did 

 not interfere with the giraffes, a promise I kept. I saw 

 their fresh spoor on many occasions, and once got a 

 glimpse of them running off. As they were the first 

 giraffes I had ever seen, I was interested in watching them 

 for the short time they were visible. 



I have since seen several herds of giraffe in British East 

 Africa, where a bull can be shot on a special licence of 

 10, although somehow I do not have the ambition to 

 shoot such a harmless and beautiful animal, and there is 

 very little interest in the trophy of the mounted head 

 and neck, or the tail. 



Near Mzazas elephants were rather scarce, but rhinos 

 were fairly plentiful, as the bush is full of thorn trees, the 

 staple food of these animals. Most of the commoner game 

 was abundant, and water-buck and impala swarmed. The 

 waterbuck is one of the most beautifully formed antelopes 

 of Africa, as he has a very fine carriage, especially when he 

 is startled, and holds up his head and neck. The meat is 

 poor eating, particularly that of an old bull. 



I was never tired of watching the herds of graceful 

 impala, and often have I lain and watched them feeding 

 and resting. They made a lovely picture of animal life 

 amongst the green tropical vegetation growing on both 

 sides of the river. The most noticeable tree was the 

 mopani, always found near large rivers in Central Africa. 



