WITH FLASH-LIGHT AND RIFLE 



sometiines hilly ground is broken by small rifts which 

 after rainfalls dry out very slowly, and often attract 

 herds of antelopes that browse on the fresh grass of 

 these little valleys. In one of these I notice a herd of 

 brown -red hartbeests (Bubalis cokei), clumsy - looking 

 but powerful animals. I take a special interest in them, 

 because their zoo- geographical variations are by no 

 means fully known scientifically. Therefore I do not 

 mind the hardship of stalking them. I leave my men 

 behind and try to steal up to the herd. For some dis- 

 tance I have to crawl along on all fours, my hands 

 being scorched by the intensely hot ground. The lead- 

 ers of the herd are still watching my men, who are 

 sitting in the shade of a euphorbia. I have apparently 

 escaped their watchfulness. At last, after half an hour's 

 hard work, I am near enough to be sure of my aim. 

 Two bullets from my rifle and tw^o bull hartbeests drop 

 dead; the rest of the herd, ten animals, gallop away in 

 a cloud of dust. My men now" join me; a few carry the 

 skins of the animals to the camp ; with the remaining 

 fifteen I penetrate farther into the steppe. Soon two 

 greenuks come in sight, but observe us and escape. 

 We meet many tracks of rhinoceroses, all leading from 

 the Ndjiri swamps into the steppe. I follow^ the fresh 

 path of an evidently powerful "pharu," fully aware that 

 I may do so for hours and still fail to come up with the 

 animal. The men accompanying me are the best of 

 my carriers; they had been with me during my pre- 



346 



