In Wildest Africa ^ 



Johnston says in his preface to my first book, '' the old 

 nursery story of eyes and no eyes." 



It is thus that I lie for long hours in the wilderness, 

 and observe, admire and enjoy. What a wealth of 

 impressions is brought before the eyes among these 

 ever-changing, at first strange but gradually familiar sights, 

 in the midst of the foreign-looking landscape, bathed in 

 a light that has a marvellous influence, and in its full 

 power is almost blinding. 



Now the dwarfs, and again the giants of the animal 

 world rivet our attention. But it is especially the primeval 

 abundance, the great profusion of large and small wild 

 life, that gives an impression that is now delightful, now 

 overwhelming. One must have seen, with the eye of 

 the hunter, gigantic old bull-elephants in the primeval 

 forest, great herds of rhinoceroses and giraffes in one 

 single day, thousands of zebras and antelopes gathered 

 together — one must have felt all this profuse wealth of 

 life, to be able to understand its full beauty and grandeur. 



Yet there are days when one looks around in vain for 

 all this life and activity, when, on account of the weather, 

 or some other reason, the animals do not show themselves 

 so freely. One must also take due account of the 

 extensive periodical migrations of the African fauna. 

 Many an erroneoiis judgment as to the alleged scarcity 

 of wild life, in districts in which other hunters pursued 

 the chase at an earlier date with success, is to be thus 

 explained. - 



But, on the other hand, there are also days when 

 such an abundance of animal forms presents itself to 



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