Sporting Trips of a Subaltern 



and all, formed a sort of cordon of sentries all 

 round the country where our quarry might yet 

 be lurking, and waited, hoping that after the heat 

 of the day they might show themselves or give 

 us fresh tracks to work upon. We never, how- 

 ever, saw a trace of them again, and I am sure 

 they fell on the carcass directly we had left it 

 and, contrary to their custom of lying up after a 

 meal, cleared straightway out of the country. 



We hung about for a day or two near the 

 Somali karia, hoping for more lion and busying 

 ourselves with our skins and heads, about which 

 the wet weather which continued made us rather 

 anxious. It was uninteresting work, and hearing 

 oryx had been sighted about a day's march 

 away, I, who had not yet bagged one of these 

 splendid trophies, bade adieu to Eustace who had, 

 and rode off one morning in quest. I took as 

 much in the way of rations as my hunter and I 

 could carry without camels, and promised to 

 return when I had got what I wanted. I started 

 at 5.30, and at 7.30, while riding slowly through 

 some of the usual country, thick bushes varied by 

 open glades and big stretches of open plain, I saw 

 my hunter, who was walking just in front, collapse 

 suddenly and lie watching something. I glided 

 off my pony as noiselessly as possible, and not 

 daring to even whisper to know what he had seen, 

 I crawled after Hassan through the grass. As I 



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