With flash-light and rifle 



not only entertained me hospitably, but also provided 

 me with food and animals for my farther journey. Our 

 conversation turned naturally to the " big and dangerous 

 game" — ^elephants, rhinoceroses, buffaloes, lions, and 

 leopards. Mr. Hall, a Nimrod of the old type, had only 

 lately had an encounter with a male rhinoceros, which he 

 had wounded, and which had turned on him and had 

 tossed him three times high up into the air, breaking 

 several of his ribs. Hardly recovered from the effects of 

 this "hazing," Mr. Hall escaped by a hair's - breadth 

 from being mauled by a leopard. The wounded animal 

 had turned on him, and he was only saved by the lucky 

 shot of one of his Askaris. Many scars and a stiff leg 

 attested these exciting experiences, which taught him the 

 lesson never to go out hunting unless accompanied by 

 another courageous and experienced European hunter. 

 He advised me to profit by his experience, in case I in- 

 tended hunting lions, which, as he told me, were pretty 

 numerous on the " Athiplains," not far from Fort Smith. 

 I accepted the invitation tendered to me by Corporal 

 Ellis to visit him in his camp, five hours' distant from 

 the fort. 



I took leave of Mr. Hall. After five hours' march I 

 reached, with my caravan. Corporal Ellis's camp. He 

 had charge of the oxen stabled there by the English 

 government. With him, as guards, were a large num- 

 ber of experienced Askaris. The corporal had killed a 

 big lioness close to his camp a fortnight before my 



2IO 



