My Methods of Hunting 25 



a knowledge of the ground). Tchigallo was a taxi- 

 dermist, arid assisted Bertrand and me in preserving 

 our specimens. 



I had not attained so perfect an organisation with- 

 out difficulty. Time and patience had been necessary 

 to make each of my men understand what I required 

 of him. I had taken two years to do it, and when I 

 returned to Africa they were, with the exception of 

 the preliminary exercises necessary to make them 

 acquainted with the new weapons which I brought, 

 absolutely trained. Thus was I able to apply in my 

 hunting a systematic method, an example of which I 

 will give. 



Arriving in an unknown district, and wishing to 

 inform myself accurately about the animals which 

 frequent it, I take one or two days in surveying it. 

 With the aid of my assistants I am not long in sur- 

 mising where the water is, the number of pools there 

 are, and the kind of animals which drink there. If this 

 preliminary examination is not satisfactory I go else- 

 where ; if, on the contrary, there are some of the 

 animals for which I am seeking, and which are 

 the elephant, the rhinoceros, and the lion chiefly, I 

 have soon counted them. True, this does not apply 

 to the elephant, which is a travelling animal ; but in 

 a week I know, without having seen them, all my 

 lions and rhinoceroses, where they pass, drink, and 

 feed. The only thing remaining to be done is to 

 await them or to meet them : a question of patience, 

 perseverance, and luck. That is the only methodi- 

 cal way of well beating a country without dogs 



