118 LIFE WITH THE HAMRAN ARABS. 



turned, however short the distance may be from an 

 animal, and our chances of bagging these rhinoceros do 

 not therefore seem great, unless we can catch them taking 

 their morning nap. After a long morning's tracking, Essafi 

 unexpectedly came upon some giraffes feeding about 

 two hundred yards from us ; but the moment's delay in 

 exchanging my smooth-bore for the express he carried 

 was quite long enough to enable them to be out of sight 

 and far away, and to leave me to make the best of the 

 reflection that I had at last seen giraffes in their own 

 home, minus the pleasure of leaving a card upon them. 

 The Arab's mutilated hand is much swollen, and the 

 poor fellow was in great suffering all night ; but I am 

 glad to find that this is not due to any application of 

 gunpowder to the wound, as I quite expected another 

 man having recently treated a wound of the leg in this 

 fashion, and, it need scarcely be added, without materi- 

 ally aiding the healing process. The finest goteer head 

 of our present collection was added by me this after- 

 noon, measuring thirty-six and a half inches from base 

 to tip of horn. 



We are now in the full swing of experience of the 

 industrious habits of the white ant, and a very disagree- 

 able experience it is, for the earth is literally alive with 

 them. Excepting metal, whatever rests on the ground 

 for a few hours is certain to have an army of them 

 doing their best to devour it, and they evidently hold to 



