84 THE GAME OF BRITISH EAST AFRICA. 



two guides you want. Nothing will shake their determination to share the danger 

 with you and be in at the death. 



As you are to a large extent dependent on their good offices for bringing in news, 

 you start off with your small army. All are laughing and talking and brandishing 

 their spears and behaving in the most warlike manner. Some dash up from behind 

 to lead the way, and others beckon you on, as you slowly plod through the thick 

 undergrowth. At one moment you are surrounded on all sides by this bodyguard, 

 safely protected in their midst, then there is a crashing of branches ahead and 

 in a second there is not a native in sight. Not only are you quite alone, but to your 

 bewilderment there is not even the sign of a flying figure anywhere. Not quite 

 alone after all, though, for close behind you is your cook, who has accompanied 

 you without orders, carrying your spare rifle, and, although he does not know how to 

 fire it, he appears quite prepared to face any emergency. 



However, it proves to be only a false alarm, and, after a short pause, the small 

 army begins to reappear. Some lead the way again, and others beckon you forward. 

 All are in high spirits and in no way ashamed of themselves or the worse for their 

 sudden panic. The cook makes a few caustic remarks about the natives of these 

 parts and comments on the superiority of his own tribe. They listen to these 

 remarks with laughing good humour, and reply that they were " only frightened," an 

 explanation which appears to them to be entirely satisfactory. When, however, you 

 send eight of the young braves home they appear to be greatly hurt and grumble 

 loudly. You then continue on your way with the other two, thinking how fearless 

 you would feel if you knew that you were able to make yourself scarce even half 

 as smartly as did they. 



The black man does sometimes manage to kill dangerous animals in 

 ways that astonish the European, but these cases are exceptional. The 

 general methods employed are the use of such devices as poisoned drop spears, 

 pitfalls, and shooting with poisoned arrows from safe positions up trees. 

 Hunting in this way entails a great deal of patience, but little danger to the 

 nimble savage. 



To return to the rifle ; the accuracy of the rifle puts a great advantage into the 

 hands of the hunter, for he must, at close quarters, hit a dangerous animal through 

 either brain or heart to account for it immediately. If he is using a small bore, even 

 the heart-shot is not quite a certainty, as many an animal has lived with a shot 

 through its heart long enough to severely damage or kill the man who fired 

 it. A shot through most other parts of the body will only tend to make an animal 

 more savage. 



