210 ON SAFARI 



dozens of these ravines, but, except on that first drive 

 of all, never again did we see the coveted beast until the 



very last. Then a lioness bounding up in front of W 



(who was with the beaters), disappeared amid bush-clad 

 rocks, and, as she never emerged on the lower side, where 

 I awaited her, had evidently gone to ground among the 

 rocks, whence we failed to dislodge her. 



We put up, of course, plenty of other game, such as 

 Chanler's reedbuck, duiker, dikdik, steinbuck and pig. 

 On one occasion, from some huge pinnacled rocks, choked 

 with heavy brushwood, which towered up, island-like, in 

 the neck of a ravine, sprang seven hyenas within fifty 

 5"ards. For a moment, I thought the great half-seen 

 brutes were lions at last — and rather too many all at 

 once. One of these rolled over to a Paradox bullet, and 



at the mouth of the gorge W made a brilliant shot 



at a second, killing one of a string of five that filed past 

 at well over 300 yards. His first shot had struck the 

 ground behind, but, by correcting the forward allowance, 

 the second got well home. 



Twice during these lion-drives we met with porcu- 

 pines. The first, a male, was caught alive in a bush- 

 filled donga by Mabruki — the same ]\Iabruki who after- 

 wards proved a source of danger, but who was always 

 wondrous expert in this way ; the second, though com- 

 pletely surrounded, managed to dodge a dozen active 

 natives, and, by a series of bounds, and with its quills 

 all rattling;, gained refug-e in a crevice of rock. The 

 stomach of that secured contained grass, seeds and other 

 vegetable-matter only. 



Guinea-fowl and francolins sped down the glens like 

 driven blackcock, and curious nightjars (Cosmetornis 

 vexillarius, the pennant-winged nightjar) fiicked up 

 and dived back among the scrub, while our common 

 Eng-lish swallows filled the air. These were constant 

 companions, snapping up, under our lee, the insects 

 disturbed by the beaters. Other small British birds 

 observed on the equator in January included wlieatear, 

 tree-pipit, yellow and grey wagtails. 



