162 IN AFRICA 



as he possibly could. He knew that there would be 

 no time nor library references in Africa, and so he 

 had prepared them in Washington before leaving 

 America. 



In regard to his future movements he seemed 

 sorry that he was obliged to take the Nile trip, and 

 that he was only doing it as a matter of business 

 that he had to get a white rhino, which is found only 

 along certain parts of the Nile. 



"Going back by the Nile is a long and hard trip. 

 For the first twelve days we will not fire a shot, 

 probably. It will mean getting started every morn- 

 ing at three o'clock, marching until ten, then sweat- 

 ing under mosquito bars during the heat of the 

 day, with spirillum ticks, sleeping-sickness flies, 

 and all sorts of pests to bother one ; then long days 

 on the Nile, with nothing to see but papyrus reeds 

 on each side." 



And speaking of "rhinos" suggests a little inci- 

 dent that the colonel told and which he considers 

 amusing. 



"One day one of the party was stalking a buffalo, 

 when a rhino suddenly appeared some distance 

 away and threatened to charge or do something that 

 would alarm the buffalo and scare it away. So they 

 told me to hurry down and shoo the rhino off while 

 they finished their stalk and got the buffalo. So, 

 you see, there's an occupation. That settles the 

 question as to what shall we do with our ex-pres- 

 idents. They can be used to scare rhinos away." 



On hearing this story I remembered that the 



