WITH FLASH-LIGHT AND RIFLE 



rainy season, I left Moschi station with my caravan, to 

 encamp near the Himo River, on my march to the 

 Ndjiri swamps. I considered myself very lucky when, 

 on this day, I succeeded in photographing from a con- 

 siderable distance some zebras and antelopes. For the 

 steppe around the Moschi station, formerly stocked with 

 game, is now almost completely despoiled of animals. 

 It is not fair to make the European hunter and ex- 

 plorer responsible for this condition of affairs. He is, 

 after all, a sportsman ; he kills, but he does not butcher. 

 The crime is rather to be charged to the Askaris, the 

 native guards, who have been in the habit of wantonly 

 shooting down every living thing that comes within 

 range of their rifles. This has lieen stopped, as far as 

 possible, but too late. 



Also the cattle-traders and the official and unofficial 

 caravans crossing this country must be blamed for much 

 of the reckless killing of animals. The officials and 

 retainers of the so-called ostrich-farm company alone 

 have for ten 3^ears past reduced the animals in the 

 Kilimanjaro steppe to at least half their original 

 number. 



The first commandant of Moschi, Von Eltz, killed in 

 the Moschi steppe sixty rhinoceroses ; to-day one hardly 

 catches sight of a single one. The second day after our 

 departure from Moschi we marched, although the rain 

 poured down in torrents, as far as Marangu. There I 

 enjoyed the hospitality of Mr. Merkel, a former corporal 



52 



