90 SERVICE AND SPORT IN THE SUDAN 



to go at least 200 miles before we thought of turning 

 back, and that I was astonished that men who had 

 proved such "gudas" during the day should come 

 and talk like this at night. It was lucky that we 

 went on, for at noon next day we had practically left 

 obstruction behind us for the time being. Every one 

 was filled with the spirit of the adventure. Each bend 

 of the river was virgin country. All were keen as 

 mustard. I have noticed that with natives very little 

 is needed to make them take a sporting interest in 

 things. I have known them to beg that a camel ride 

 should not be shortened, as otherwise it would not 

 exceed previous records ; to march over sixty miles 

 in a day, after many averaging over thirty, in order 

 not to appear laggards, " to march in with their bim- 

 bashi," as they said ; to quarrel for the doubtful 

 privilege of riding half-broken horses barebacked 

 nearly a hundred miles in a matter of hours. They 

 are, as a rule, real sportsmen. On both banks was 

 a belt of bush, in some places of unknown width, 

 at others giving the large, almost treeless plain beyond 

 a clear run to the river bank. Scattered heglig (Bala- 

 nites ^gyptica) trees were seen on the left bank. At 

 one bend of the river a mass of large creeper-covered 

 trees (probably rubber) formed a superb picture I can 

 still see. 



We passed a herd of elephant who fled on hearing 

 our syren, which we sounded to warn Sharpies, who 

 was on the bank improperly armed. In its flight 

 it put up all sorts of game, waterbuck, hartebeest, 

 giraffe, &c., whose heads we saw bobbing up and 



