30 PEACE: LION HUNTING 



uneventful. Tied neither to time nor to anything 

 else, we just travelled or camped when and as we 

 felt inclined. 



So the weeks sped for us — travelling slowly 

 down the beautiful river : drifting down the river 

 of life too, I suppose, without thought or worry, 

 and with the sheer physical enjoyment of being 

 alive that each day brought. In places the track 

 would be quite close to the river, by low banks 

 and flats ; then, as the valley closed in, we would 

 climb long, red, sandy ridges, from which glorious 

 views were often to be seen. Some of our camps 

 on these low ridges were places of real beauty : 

 vast green plains of grass stretching below, and 

 the great river, with its wide overflow lakes spread- 

 ing through the flats. A few big buck might be 

 seen out on the grassy flats, but to the eyes of a 

 cattle-man there was room for thousands of 

 cattle. There is a story of an old squatter who 

 made a tour in Europe and gazed on the scenery 

 that has become classic for grandeur and beauty. 

 On his return he was asked by a friend : " After 

 seeing so much of the world, what do you consider 

 the finest sight you have seen ? .'•' To this the old 

 squatter replied, " Why, five hundred fat Here- 

 fords feeding on a ridge beats everything/' 



We passed odd little Ovambo settlements from 

 time to time. I had no difficulty in shooting what 

 meat I wanted on the road, and one morning some 

 reedbuck let the wagon come so close to them that, 

 while still camping on the ground, I shot a beauti- 



