Northern Nigeria 



the larger island being reduced to smoking 

 ashes, I waded on to it and walked down. About 

 halfway along I smelt a very strong odour of 

 burnt flesh, and soon made out a large black 

 mass; it was a buffalo burnt to ashes. The horns 

 were heavy and apparently intact, but on my 

 touching them they crumbled away in my hand. 

 This proved to be the only buffalo sighted, and 

 we could only suppose that it was the one the 

 Yoruba hunters claimed to have wounded, and that 

 it had been unable to escape the flames. The 

 rest must have left the island just before our 

 arrival, or else perhaps have taken straight to 

 the water and swum for it. Abadie's shot had 

 been at a magnificent water-buck, that dashed 

 almost into his arms at the ford and fell dead 

 at his very feet. 



Next day we moved off inland from Bajibo, 

 and a day or two after met hunters and ponies 

 from Kiama, and began hunting in earnest. The 

 thick scrub of jungle was a nuisance, but the 

 country was as open as it ever could be, as 

 the high grass was down and much of it 

 destroyed by the bush fires, which, I believe, are 

 generally due to natural causes ; nevertheless, the 

 view was always extremely limited, and riding 

 impossible except at a walk. We had the King 

 of Kiama's own hunter and his son; they were 

 both as keen as mustard, and absolutely like cats 



225 Q 



