224 ON THE EDGE 



also saw a mongoose, a Maftzs or scaly 

 ant-eater, a tortoise, and some huge lizards, 

 — all common objects of these plains. The 

 uninitiated would not believe what a noise a 

 small tortoise makes. When driving big 

 game in this part of the world I have 

 been deceived into expecting deer by a 

 tortoise coming along. Pig, which we did 

 not see, as they spend the day in the 

 thickest covert on the low hills, are also 

 common, and do much damage at night. 



Just as we were beginning to think of 

 knocking off, I espied three cliinkara 

 (gazelles) some way ahead, and determined 

 to try a drive. For this purpose I crept 

 along a nullah, and reached a cactus 

 patch beyond them and skirting a de- 

 pression along which I thought they would 

 come. When they had given me sufficient 



