xx IN QUEST OF THE BOUNDARY 259 



abound along the bed of the Serah river. It was 

 with no little anxiety that I rode up to the waterhole 

 in the river-bed, fearing that it might possibly be 

 dry. I was much relieved to find an abundant 

 supply, which welled up from a clear spring and flowed 

 for a distance of about fifty yards along the gleam- 

 ing sand before the latter engulfed it in its thirsty 

 embrace. 



Near this spot I noticed great numbers of oryx 

 and Grevy zebra, also some giraffe and a rhino 

 or two. I saw one zebra with its hind quarters 

 badly lacerated by the claws of a lion. The 

 wounds were quite fresh, and, as the poor brute was 

 evidently in great pain, I shot it to put it out of 

 its misery. Wounded animals in the wilds must 

 often suffer a long drawn-out agony before the final 

 end comes. 



As game was plentiful at Serah, and there was 

 only one waterhole for the animals to drink from, 

 I thought to myself that this would be an excellent 

 place to make observations by night. I therefore 

 had a boma made close by the spring so that I might 

 sit and watch the various beasts in the brilliant moon- 

 shine as they came to quench their thirst. I had 

 the camp purposely pitched over half a mile away, 

 in order that the animals should not be kept from the 

 water or be disturbed during the night. 



After dinner I took up my position in the boma, 



