XXIX 



ON THE STAND AT NIGHT 



TO watch for game at night in the wilds of tropical 

 Africa is by no means as attractive as it may ap- 

 pear to the imagination of a European hunter. 



To take one's stand, or rather seat, in a high tree is 

 often impracticable, to do so on the level ground is not 

 very promising, because, if the wind be unfavorable, 

 most animals will scent the hunter and avoid the am- 

 bush. The best and most sportsmanlike way is, no 

 doubt, to stalk the game in the daytime notwithstanding 

 — or, should I say on account of — the danger it involves. 



Yet whoever wishes to study the wa^^s and habits of 

 wild animals must undergo the hardship of spending 

 some sleepless nights in the thicket. The numerous in- 

 sects — ants, for instance — will keep him wide-awake, 

 and, though he may not be successful as a hunter, the 

 insight into the night life of many animals will fully 

 repay him for his trouble. 



I have yielded to the fascination of such night watches 

 many times, and, like Count Coudenhove, in Somali- 

 land, so did I in the East African jungles "learn to be 

 afraid." 



364 



