Sporting Trips of a Subaltern 



female hartebeest, an oribi, and a little buck 

 like a Somali dik-dik. All these in three days, 

 though how he managed it I never could conceive. 



At the end of the month the French evacuated 

 this part of Borgu, including the large walled 

 town of Kiama, which latter we proceeded to 

 occupy, the late Captain Welch who afterwards 

 fell leading mounted infantry in a gallant and 

 successful attack on a Boer convoy and I being 

 left in charge. 



Just before the main body of the expedition 

 started their march back to the river, I, seeing 

 plenty of hard work ahead, determined to prepare 

 myself for it by a short hunt. Matters being 

 adjusted for the present with both our white 

 neighbours and with the Baribas, as the inhabi- 

 tants of Borgu call themselves, naturally made 

 it easier and more pleasant to go off into the 

 bush. The King of Kiama lent me his private 

 hunter, a long, gaunt-looking negro, rather like 

 a wolf, and taking also, as a slight precaution, 

 three of our black soldiers, we all made our way 

 to a pool half a day's march away; here we 

 " bedded down" for the night, and I remember 

 thinking what a strange party we were. A few 

 months earlier Nigeria and its tribes had been 

 but a vague name to me; I think two, perhaps 

 at the most three, living Englishmen had entered 

 the Borgu country, and this was only during 



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