32 After Big Game in Central Africa 



Some time afterwards I organised a small expedition 

 into Portuguese territory around Chiperoni mountain, 

 five or six days' journey to the north-east of our camp. 

 In that district there was almost impenetrable grass, 

 an undergrowth of a denseness not at all common at 

 that time of the year. We found there numerous 

 traces of game, amongst others those of wildebeests, 

 which I saw for the first time north of the Zambesi. 

 Elephants also had frequented the district ; but their 

 marks were fairly old. A few rhinoceroses also lived 

 there, and one day we even found ourselves quite near 

 one of them ; we heard it breathing and breaking 

 roots of trees, but the vegetation was of such density, 

 the grass was so high and so thick, that we were 

 unable to see it after several hours' pursuit. We 

 returned from our journey absolutely unsuccessful 

 as far as big animals were concerned. 



The surroundings of our camp were not at all 

 satisfactory. I presumed that the first rain would 

 bring game to the north-west of the Chiromo, and 

 only a fortnight separated us from the time when 

 the heavens would open their windows for a period 

 of four months. In the meantime I began hunt- 

 ing hippopotami on the banks of the Shire. Up to 

 then I had only kept the teeth of my largest speci- 

 mens, and I needed for my collection a fine, entire 

 head. But I did not find this time the trophy 

 for which I was in search, although there was a great 

 choice at that period, a number of hippopotami having 

 collected a little below the confluence of the Shire and 

 the Rui. Either those which I killed were too young, 



