266 A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA chap. 



down on us, Ali and I seized him. The huge beast, 

 a full-grown male, moved slowly off, while the Abyssinian, 

 getting in another shot, ran after him. Ali and I mean- 

 while stuck to the tracks of the wounded roan, which 

 took us over broken ground, at the foot of Belaire Hill, 

 and along the Ouarali stream which flows to Ouarra. In 

 the distance we heard many shots, the reports of which 

 gradually grew fainter, as we got further away. We 

 halted for a couple of hours, being very tired and 

 thirsty ; then, taking up the tracks, again pressed on 

 past two water-holes to a fine stretch of green grass, 

 in which the roan suddenly got up. A steady shot at 

 200 yards found his heart — a short gallop and he rolled 

 over dead. It took us an hour to get his skin off, 

 for it was very thick and tough. Putting this and 

 the best part of the meat up a tree, we went back to 

 the nearest water and kindled a fire by rubbing two 

 sticks together, for we had no matches. After a meal 

 of roast meat, we lay down, the loaded rifles beside us. 

 Nothing disturbed us during the night but the buzz of 

 the mosquitoes and the croak of the frogs. At the first 

 sign of dawn Ali started back to camp, while I cautiously 

 approached the carcase, hoping to find that a lion or 

 leopard had been feeding, but not even a jackal had 

 been near it ! I had skinned the head and was doing 

 the hoofs, when Ali returned, accompanied by two 

 Somalis, Basha Kassa, and four of my Abyssinians, whom 

 he had met on the big plain coming to search for me. 

 After some food, I started back to camp with them, 

 none the worse for my long day and night out. My 

 non-return last evening had greatly alarmed the camp, for 



