THE KREISH SULTANS 163 



intelligent face, black and prognathous. He was a 

 warrior of note, but having got into very hot water in 

 French territory owing to his proclivities in that line 

 he fled to us. We gave him a great part of Ibrahim 

 Dardug's people when the latter was deposed. If we 

 quitted the western district to-morrow the position of 

 paramount Sultan would lie between him and Nasr 

 Andal, and I think he would get it. 



We now struck due north. The country was hilly, 

 much intersected by khors, and rather more open than 

 elsewhere. 



One morning I came on a herd of buffalo. I was 

 stalking it when I heard a shot fired on the other side 

 of it. It was fired by a courier sent to meet me by the 

 sheikh of Zeinei. His weapon was a muzzle-loading 

 fowling-piece held together by string and wire ! 



I was rather annoyed at being baulked of my chance 

 of a shot, but, on arrival rather early at Zeinei, I at 

 once sallied out, and by rare good luck came on a 

 solitary buffalo bull. He was grazing in an open 

 space near a pool. I ordered my guide to climb a 

 tree, and then crawled down a sort of khor of which 

 the pool formed part. I had, however, soon to leave 

 this line, but found the alternative lay through high 

 grass. When about seventy yards from my quarry, 

 who was now a bit suspicious, I climbed a tree, the 

 grass four feet high absolutely screening the view. I 

 was nothing loath to do so — it was a case of " mix it 

 strong, ma'am, and force me to take it." I fired with a 

 solid .303, and down he dropped — rose — I fired again, 

 and he rolled over. I was doubtful of the genuine- 



