A HUNTER'S CAMP-FIRES 



ing, I crawled up to the wounded animal from the opposite 

 direction, and at a distance of three yards dropped it in its 

 tracks as it struggled to regain its feet. The horns of this 

 gerenuk measured as follows: Length of right, fifteen inches; 

 base circumference, five inches; length of left, fourteen and 

 one-half inches; circumference, five inches; distance between 

 the tips, four and three-quarter inches. The horns of seven 

 bucks of this gazelle, which we brought from Africa, varied 

 comparatively little in length and circumference; twelve and 

 three-eighth inches and sixteen and one-quarter inches, and 

 four and one-half inches and five and three-quarter inches, 

 were respectively the extreme measurements. However, these 

 different sets of horns varied a great deal in shape, and the 

 distance between the tips varied from tw^o and one-half inches 

 to six and one-half inches. 



After three hours of hard travelling we overtook the head 

 of the column, which was moving along a portion of the valley 

 covered with thousands of grazing goats and sheep under 

 the guard of Samburu shepherds. Late in the afternoon we 

 camped near the river-bank under some large trees, among the 

 branches of which we had glimpses of several playful green 

 monkeys. At this season of the year it rained hard a number 

 of times each day, and the atmosphere was very humid, with 

 the result that it was necessary to devote some time each day 

 to the drying and preserv^ation of skins. Early the next morn- 

 ing found the two of us scouring the country in different direc- 

 tions for game. I tra,velled through thick bush for several 

 hours, jumping several gerenuk and almost stumbling over a 

 sleeping rhino, but when I reached the open, rolling country 

 back from the river I found it covered by the herds of sheep 

 and goats of the Samburu. 



On returning campw^ard that afternoon I met Fuguet, "^^ho 

 had succeeded in shooting a cock ostrich. He and his gun- 

 bearer had plucked the best plumes of the bird, but in a country 



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