Sporting Trips of a Subaltern 



Yorubas to light the dry grass all round the 

 edges, by which means we knew that both 

 islands would soon be a furnace of flames and 

 everything living must break cover. 



We tossed for the ford to the mainland, and 

 Abadie won. I accordingly was dropped in the 

 swamp, and the canoe paddled of to put Abadie 

 in his place. I had not long to wait before a 

 noise like incessant musketry fire told me that 

 the islands were well ablaze, and I began to 

 realize that my position was hardly an enviable 

 one. I was up to the knees in swamp, so that 

 I could only move very slowly; I had even to 

 keep pulling first one leg and then the other 

 out to prevent myself sinking deeper. The 

 flames might easily reach me where I stood. I 

 felt sure there were crocodiles all around in 

 the reeds no pleasant feeling when you are 

 standing in water; and, finally, my whole object 

 in being there was to get a charge of maddened 

 buffaloes on the top of me. 



Swiftly the flames licked up both islands, and, 

 no breeze springing up, I was only moderately 

 warmed. One large water-buck doe dashed into 

 the swamp from the small island, evidently 

 meaning to cross to the larger one, but seeing 

 that a mass of flame, she boldly took to the 

 river and was soon out of sight, unmolested. 

 Then I heard a shot from Abadie, and finally, 



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